Harry Potter and the Strange Students from America
by FireAndIcexX
Summary: Not too long ago, both mutants and wizards were hidden from the muggles in this world. Now, a month after the fall of Apocalypse and the death of Sirius Black, muggles know and condemn mutants while the Wizarding World needs their help.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Professor X, Magneto, Mystique and Professor Dumbledore – Xavier's Office

Professor Xavier sat in his office, his attentions focused on his three, unusual guests. He supposed he after the fall of Apocalypse it wasn't too strange to find himself in casual company with Magneto and Mystique, both old rivals who recently turned 'good'. Naturally, Magneto still had his hate for humans and Mystique was as short-tempered and vengeful as ever, but they were no longer at the throats of each other or the X-Men. It was now a month after the battle against Apocalypse and the mutants of Bayville seemed at peace, despite ongoing protests against them. All in all, they were content with the considerably uneventful last few weeks.

When an old friend of both Magneto and Charles arrived at around seven that morning, the two powerful mutants knew that change was coming. The man who had travelled from a castle on the British Isles was a well-known wizard by the name of Professor Albus Dumbledore. The strange, elderly man appeared on the doorstep of the Xavier Institute with a small 'pop,' consequently bypassing all forms of security. He was, soon after, greeted at the door by Hank McCoy and led to the Professor's office. Upon seeing his wizard friend again, Charles sent for both Mystique and Magneto. He knew it must have been important for Albus to seek him out.

When Mystique entered, the blue shape-shifter simply eyed the wizard warily. Unlike Xavier and Magneto, she had never met him. She didn't even know anything about his world, the Magical World. Magneto, however, bore a shocked expression at seeing his old colleague. Long ago, before the Apocalypse, before the X-Men, before even Voldemort had gained his power, Eric Lensherr and Charles Xavier stumbled into the Magical Realm and met Albus Dumbledore. Almost a decade of their lives went into studying the relationship between mutants and wizards. Eventually all contact ended when the falling out between Magneto and Xavier occurred. Finally, Dumbledore was forced to stop his studies when Tom Riddle began to gain power as Voldemort. They hadn't heard from each other since, so it was only natural the surprise felt by both Magneto and Xavier when Dumbledore came asking for their help.

"The Wizarding World is, yet again, in the middle of a war against Voldemort," Dumbledore spoke solemnly. "And the only hope we have in defeating him lies in a young boy by the name of Harry Potter." The old wizard wasn't surprised by the looks he was getting from the others. Voldemort had just started gaining followers when the two mutants left the Magical World behind. "He has always been a formidable opponent with many ways of keeping himself alive," Albus said as an explanation. The three mutants simply accepted it and waited for him to continue. A long explanation of Harry Potter's prophecy and life ensued, followed by Dumbledore's formal request for their help. "I do not ask that your students face Voldemort," he concluded, "only that they help to protect Harry and my other students until the time comes. Mr. Potter will be entering his sixth year at Hogwarts and still needs much more training if he wants to survive the final battle."

Silence followed for a few moments as the three mutants thought things over. Mystique had only barely come to terms with the fact that magic existed, and wasn't jumping at the chance to protect or fight against something she didn't fully understand. Magneto and Xavier took a little longer to decide, and in the end both reached the conclusion that they wanted to help their old friend. Charles wheeled his chair to Dumbledore's side. "I can assure you, Albus, that the X-Men will do what they can to help," he said. Magneto simply nodded his agreement and glanced expectantly at Mystique. The blue woman in question glared at him a few moments before consenting as well, with a very slight nod of her head. She wasn't very eager, but the other two seemed to trust the wizard, after all.

Dumbledore sighed in relief at their answers and smiled kindly at each of them. "I don't believe you know how much this means," he replied. Albus took his job of protecting the school and his students very seriously and, at present, this seemed the best way to keep everyone safe. "You should also know that Voldemort has recently learned of the existence of mutants and I wouldn't be surprised if he began recruiting them. This will soon become your fight as well."

XXX

Everyone – Xavier Institute's Dining Hall

Everyone was quickly assembled in the large dining room of the Xavier Institute, waiting impatiently for the urgent news Professor X, Magneto, and Mystique had for them. They were also quite curious as to who the other old man was. Finally, the last of the students filed into the room and everyone was called to attention. The 'meeting' began with Professor Xavier explaining to everyone about the existence of wizards and how Professor Dumbledore, standing quietly behind his wheelchair, was one. After all of that excitement ended, Xavier told them about Voldemort and Dumbledore's request that mutants go to Hogwarts disguised as students to help protect everyone.

Charles was then interrupted by Bobby Drake, who raised his hand as he asked, "How are we going to pretend to be students if we can't even do magic?" The other mutants nodded and voiced their agreements before being stopped again.

Magneto was the one to stop them this time. "Charles, Albus and I spent the better part of a decade studying the relationship between magic and mutant powers," he replied in his naturally stern, deep voice. "If there is anything we learned it is that mutants are simply extremely powerful wizards. Our magical abilities were powerful enough to manifest themselves as a specific power, but we can still use our powers with wands as wizards do." It had been a remarkable discovery all those years ago. Eric and Charles had been astounded while testing the theory for themselves.

"Continuing on," Charles said as the others took in that information, "not all of you will be attending Hogwarts. We have chosen five X-Men, three from the Brotherhood, and two of the Acolytes to go to Britain as witches and wizards. The rest will continue training and recruiting mutants before Voldemort can get to them." There was a bit of an uproar at the news, which died to whispers of who they suspected were going.

"So who's going there, Professor?" Kurt's voice rose above the rest. "Don't keep us in suspense!" More murmurs of agreement followed and the Professor allowed it to die down before going on.

"Alright then," Charles replied. "Gambit and Pyro will be going as seventh years. Typically they are seventeen, and as far as they know so are all of you." He glanced at the two he named to make sure they understood before moving on. They were much older, but they needed some people in that year. He continued, "Lance, Rogue, Wanda, and Pietro will be going as sixth years. This is extremely important, because Harry Potter and his friends will be in the same year." The Professor paused again. "The rest will be attending as fifth years. They are Kurt, Kitty, Amara, and Bobby." As the Professor finished, another wave of noise erupted from the mutants. Shouts of astonishment were mixed with congratulations while some were muttering in anger.

Xavier, Magneto, and Mystique knew that explanations were in order for those who were not chosen, but that would have to wait until later. At the moment, ten specific mutants would need to begin packing. In a week they would be on their flight to England and, upon arriving, receive wands and begin to learn the basics of magic.

XXX

Professor X, Magneto, and Professor Dumbledore – Xavier Institute's Dining Hall

Everyone had long since cleared the room until only the two professors and Magneto were left. They reminisced and caught each other up with their lives. Of course, Albus was sorry to hear about the constant fighting between his two mutant friends that eventually led to Charles' accident. He couldn't imagine how hard it had been for the mutants when the muggles learned of them. He knew that life was much simpler without them knowing, but mutants didn't have what the wizards did. The Magical Realm had enough people to sustain strict governments around the world and could perform different spells to keep them hidden.

Xavier and Magneto learned more of the specifics of Voldemort's reign, as Dumbledore had told them quite a bit earlier. They learned of Harry Potter's past with his family and the many encounters he's had with Voldemort throughout his years at Hogwarts, all ending with the previous month. As the mutants teamed up to fight Apocalypse, Harry, his friends and the Order fought Death Eaters. Dumbledore even briefly described his own battle with Voldemort that night. "It ended, however, with Harry losing his dear godfather, Sirius Black," the wizard said sadly. That was the end of his tale, so Albus checked his wristwatch, one neither of the mutants took the time to understand, and started that it was time he returned to his own school. "Charles, Eric," Albus said their names sadly, "I am sorry I had not contacted sooner and only now because I need something of you. I will see you both soon and I look forward to your students' arrival next week."

The other two said their goodbyes as well and, just before the clock struck seven at night, Albus disapparated.

XXX

Lance and Kitty – Rogue and Kitty's Room

A little after the meeting, Kitty decided she had nothing better to do than to pack. Lance simply followed her to her room. He leaned against Kitty's bed as she rummaged through her closet for a bag and some of the clothes she was going to bring. Rogue had gone outside after the meeting, so she and Lance had the room alone. "Man, isn't this the weirdest thing ever?" She asked him after a few moments of silence. It was a little awkward for her since he was just standing there doing nothing.

Lance only shrugged as Kitty turned to haul her old suitcase onto the bed and unzipped it. "I don't think it's too surprising, actually," he replied.

Lance's response made Kitty roll her eyes, but she smiled all the same. "Why do you say that, Lance?" She asked. "It's not as if you knew magic was real, right?"

Lance shook his head and laughed. "No, I had no idea, either," he assured her. Lance pushed off the bed and moved to stand behind Kitty. He gingerly wrapped an arm around her waist and was relieved when, a few moments later, she still hadn't pulled away. "But let's face it, Kitty. I can cause earthquakes and you can walk through walls. I'm just surprised we didn't know about them sooner."

Kitty laughed and turned around in his arms. "Alright, I guess you have a point," she conceded. She wrapped her arms around his neck and reached up to peck him lightly on his cheek. They had been officially going out since the battle against Apocalypse both were relieved they would be going to that magic school together. "Well, I guess I should finish packing," Kitty said, reluctantly letting go and turning back to her closet. "You should go pack as well."

Lance shrugged again before moving back to sit next to the suitcase on her bed. "Don't worry about it; I don't own that much anyways."

XXX

Rogue and Gambit – Gazebo by the Cliff

The small gazebo had become one of Rogue's favorite haunts, and it was here that she returned to after the little announcement the Professor made. She sat on a bench leaning on the railing beside her. She was facing the cliff that she had, a little over a month ago, pushed a stone statue of Mystique off. She had thought her adoptive mother was dead, but was proven wrong as she was simply taken and controlled by Apocalypse. Nothing too bad had happened since then; it was almost unreal. But now, with the arrival of that wizard, Rouge's life would again become wildly unpredictable.

"A penny for your thoughts, mon Chéri?" A smooth, accented voice spoke from behind her. Rouge didn't bother to turn around; she knew already who was there. She heard his heavy footsteps fall on the wooden gazebo as he decidedly sat on the bench directly across from her. Rogue glanced at him through the corner of her eye; he simply looked back with a smirk on his face. After a few moments she straightened and turned to face him.

"Is there something you need?" Rogue asked, expectantly. Thankfully, the question didn't sound as rude as she expected it to.

Gambit simply laughed it off and shook his head. "Of course not," he replied. "I only came out here to see how you were doing. All of this talk about magic and the two of us flying off to England in a few days seems to have upset you. Now, why would such news worry such a pretty southern belle like you?"

Rogue scowled. "I'm not worried, trust me," she denied, quickly. "I was only thinking about how it'll be when we get there. Everything will be different there, and that school probably has a lot more people to run into…" Rogue trailed off, glancing at the man in front of her. They were going to a strange new school together in an even stranger new world. For some reason, she couldn't help but feel glad that he was going to be there.

Gambit, oblivious to Rogue's other thoughts, chuckled yet again. "It sounds as if you're worried to me," he said in response. "Don't bother yourself with it, mon Chéri. Everything will be fine at this new school of ours."

'This new school of ours,' Rogue's thoughts echoed as she leant back against the railing of the gazebo, at peace for the time being.

XXX

Kurt – Scott and Kurt's Room

Kurt was, initially, ecstatic at the news. Who wouldn't want to fly to England, beat up bad guys, and learn magic all at once? Then he realized he would have to tell Amanda that he was going. He knew the sooner he got it over with, the better, so blue, fuzzy mutant teleported to his room, grabbed his cell phone, and dialed his girlfriend's number. It rang three times before she answered and, almost immediately, Kurt explained everything that happened that morning. He ended with, "… and I'm one of the ones going…" Kurt said it quietly, but he knew she heard him.

There was only a second of silence before Amanda recovered and replied, "Oh, that's great, Kurt! You'll learn magic and help save a lot of people!"

Kurt was shocked at first, possibly more than Amanda had been just before. "So, you're okay with me going?" He asked.

He heard Amanda's chuckle on the other end. "Well, I suppose I can't really do anything about it, can I?" She teased lightly. "I'll be fine, Kurt, and you will be too. Don't worry; I'll eagerly wait for your return."

Kurt smiled, and then let out a laugh. "You're optimism never ceases to amaze me, Amanda! Man, I miss you already!"

Amanda laughed again and there was another moment of silence. All joking in her voice aside, she finally broke it by saying, "Just promise me one thing, Kurt."

"Anything, Amanda."

"… Come back home in one piece."

"I will, Amanda. I promise." Kurt didn't know how, but it seemed Amanda knew just how dangerous that Voldemort guy was. Either way, Kurt was determined to keep his promise to his girlfriend.

XXX

One Week Later – The X-Jet

The rest of the week passed without incident. Bags and suitcases were packed, families notified, and then everyone spent as much time as possible with the friends they were leaving behind. A little too quickly the day arrived. The departing mutants said their final goodbyes as the X-Jet was prepped and loaded, before climbing on themselves. Wolverine and Storm were flying the group to London where they would stay for a few days buying their school things. They would then be taken to Hogwarts where they would learn as much magic as possible before the other students arrive.

The flight to London, thankfully shorter on the jet than on a plane, went without much incident. Lance and Amara weren't feeling too well at the end of it, but they were fine after a bit of time on the ground. The jet was landed in an abandoned lot on the outskirts of the city, and they caught a big, crowded double-decker bus to the heart of it. Everyone conversed amongst themselves most of the ride; until Wolverine herded them all off onto an uncrowded street near the heart of London.

The buildings were clearly old, but were still filled with shops and people. In the middle of the street was a large gap between the buildings. It was in front of here that they stopped on Wolverine and Storm's orders. The other mutants stood with mixed expressions of excitement, expectation or confusion. Slowly, a building seemed to fill the space they were staring it. It took only seconds for the pub named the Leaky Cauldron to finish appearing. Wolverine pushed through and entered before everyone else. The rest filed in behind him. Decisively, the old mutant made his way directly to the bartender and slipped him a piece of paper. Storm nudged the others to follow as the wizard serving drinks left his post to lead them upstairs.

The group of American mutants, minus Storm and Wolverine, would be pairing up and occupying five hotel rooms above the pub for a few days. Payments had been taken care of by the school. The entire group piled into one room so Wolverine and Storm could talk to them before they took off.

With the door locked shut, Wolverine began, "Now, Charles and the others want you all to remember that, under no circumstances, are you to willingly reveal the fact that you're mutants. Needlessly using your powers is completely forbidden." Logan stopped momentarily to glare at a few of the students in turn. He knew some would use their powers regardless, but Xavier had hoped that magic would be more tempting to mess around with than their abilities.

It was then that Storm decided to cut in, "There are quite a few things about this world that you will need to know. You will learn all of that during your time here in the Leaky Cauldron. Starting tomorrow morning, one of the professors from Hogwarts will be here to teach you everything you need to know about the Magical World. It is essential that you learn to blend in with the other students." The two instructors didn't say much else, and were gone within the hour.

XXX

A/N :: I know it wasn't very eventful, but it was only the first chapter. Most of it was standard prologue stuff that kind of needed to be somewhere. I realize that it also seems to be moving a bit fast. Again, I would blame the fact that it's the first chapter and there isn't much plot at the moment. Things will get better when more interesting things happen!

Thank you for reading and please review!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Though suffering from jetlag, Amara pushed herself up from her bed to answer the knocking on the door. "Yes?" She said out of habit as she opened the door, still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. Blinking a few times, the young mutant recognized Tom the bartender standing on the other side of the door.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, miss," the old wizard said, "but it is eleven in the morning already, and the Professors from Hogwarts are here to see you and your friends."

"Oh, alright," Amara replied, almost completely awake now, "Thanks for waking us up." Tom simply nodded and left. Amara closed the door again and turned to wake her roommate and get dressed. Amara and Wanda exited their room together and approached the door at one end of the hall. They could tell that at least most of the other mutants were there, considering the noise. They slipped inside and found that almost everyone was already inside, along with two older people that they didn't recognize. The crowded room was large, circular, and well-lit. It contained a fireplace surrounded by two armchairs and a large couch, a writing table, a large bookshelf along one wall, and a few more chairs sprinkled across the room.

"I thought Storm said there was only going to be one professor," Wanda said questioningly to whoever was listening. She was eying the two Hogwarts teachers warily, examining what she could of them. One, a woman, looked older than the other. She had her black hair in a tight bun and perched on her nose were square spectacles. She wore strange clothes, much like the ones Professor Dumbledore had on when he visited the institute. This lady's robes, however, were emerald green. The other professor wore the same kind of clothing, only his were pitch black and covered, for the most part, by an equally dark cloak. He looked much younger than the woman with long, greasy black hair framing a pale face. He had sallow skin, a hooked nose, and beady black eyes.

Amara glanced at the Brotherhood girl and simply shrugged. "Well, there are ten of us," she suggested, glancing at the older girl. "Maybe they just wanted more people to watch over all of us." She looked back at the professors, possibly two of her new teachers for the next year. Both bore stern expressions as they waited for everyone to settle down and for the last two students, Bobby and Kurt, to arrive. Each was intimidating in their own way, and seemed to command respect. At the same time, however, the woman seemed much warmer than the man next to her. Finally, Iceman and Nightcrawler stumbled inside and, after a few moments, everyone went silent to wait for the two professors to begin.

The woman stepped forward first, looking as if she was used to being in charge. "Hello everyone, I am Professor McGonagall. I teach Transfigurations at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but I am also the Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor House," her introduction went. With one hand, she then gestured to the man in black standing behind her. "This is Professor Snape, Potions Master and Head of Slytherin House." Professor McGonagall's demeanor changed to that of a solemn one as she glanced at each student in front of her. "I would like, first, to personally thank you for agreeing to attend and protect, our school. We are living in dark times, where even the mention of Voldemort's name makes those who hear it flinch in terror." The professor allowed a few mutters before silencing them again. "Over the next few days, you will learn what you must about Voldemort and his forces from Professor Snape and me. It will not be until you reach Hogwarts that you will learn about matters concerning the castle as well as some of the spells you should have learned in previous years."

And so the first lesson continued; a crash course in the makings of a Dark Lord. Professor McGonagall did all of the talking, making Amara wonder how Snape taught if he was always so silent. She supposed he simply had nothing else to add. The older woman was very detailed, and though Amara couldn't claim to know the story of Tom Riddle, it seemed as if she left nothing out. The day's 'lesson' ended with Voldemort's failed attempt to kill Harry Potter and the reasoning behind it.

Just after telling the new students the story of Harry's first Halloween experience, Professor McGonagall glanced at her colleague. The man reached into his robes and pulled out his wand, though it seemed nothing more than a polished stick to the mutants. He muttered something unintelligible and pointed his wand at the door. Professor McGonagall turned her attentions back on the students to explain. "Professor Snape has just cast an Imperturbable Charm on the door to prevent eavesdroppers." With that, she repeated the prophecy spoken sixteen years ago. "Even now Voldemort does not know the full contents of the prophecy. He sought it last month, but the record was destroyed before he could hear the rest of it."

It was now nearing three in the afternoon and the ten mutants were getting hungry. The professors removed the charm on the door and gave Rogue a bag full of gold, silver, and bronze coins to spend on their food. "The gold coins are Galleons, silver ones are Sickles, and the bronze coins are Knuts," she explained, followed by the conversions, 29 Knuts to a Sickle and 17 Sickles to a Galleon. Just before the two professors left, she added, "Also, none of you are to leave exit the pub. Tom will be making sure you don't."

Surprisingly enough, no one wanted to disobey their teachers at the moment. They were all quite content with lying low in and above the pub. The next few days passed in the same fashion, except without the jetlag. They learned about the many adventures of Harry Potter, beginning with his first year at Hogwarts and ending in the battle that occurred just a month ago, around the same time the mutants fought Apocalypse. Amara and the other X-Men found it quite interesting, but the five mutants from the Brotherhood and the Acolytes didn't necessarily share the amusement. Either way, they listened attentively each day, surprisingly showing no disrespect to either professor.

On their fourth day of staying in the Leaky Cauldron, Kitty glanced at Rogue who had just finished brushing her hair. They were getting ready for breakfast down in the pub, where the group had been eating the past few days. "I wonder what Professor McGonagall is going to be telling us about today," she said. The previous afternoon, the elderly witch had finished the story of Harry's fifth year, and as far as Kitty knew, that was the end of the tale until September of that year.

Rogue set her brush down and gestured to the door before replying. "I don't know, either," she said, exiting the room. "I guess we're almost done here, then. Maybe we get to see the castle soon. " Rogue was much more excited to go to Hogwarts than she let on. It was a chance to get away from being a 'mutant menace' in the eyes of society; she could completely start over. Of course, Rogue wouldn't forget that the point of the trip was to protect Harry Potter until the time was right, and they all had to go back to hiding their mutant abilities. Still, it was a step up from being in Bayville.

"Oh, yeah, I hadn't thought of that!" Kitty exclaimed, giggling as she led the way downstairs. "I can't wait to see it, I bet it's amazing!" The two reached the table the mutants 'claimed' in the last few days, finding most of them already there. Kitty impulsively took the empty seat next to Lance while Rogue moved to the next closest empty chair across from Gambit. Slowly, everyone finished their meals and collectively walked back upstairs to wait for Professors Snape and McGonagall in the large room.

The ten mutants sat in the many seats offered in the room as they waited. The old grandfather clock behind the desk struck eleven when Kurt pointed said, "Is it just me, or are the professors late?" After their first visit, the two Hogwarts teachers began showing up at around ten-thirty, assuming everyone to have gotten used to the time differences. The others agreed and, for fifteen more minutes, conversed amongst themselves about it before the door suddenly swung open with a crash.

"Oh, eh… Sorry 'bout that, Tom," said a voice from the other side of the door. It was loud and booming, but the unseen man behind it sounded embarrassed and apologetic at the same time. They heard the familiar bartender's voice calm the newcomer down and reassure him. Tom strode into the room first, carrying a pile of books. He set them down to inspect the door and the wall behind it as the other man walked it. It was strange watching this man emerge through the small doorway; he was a giant in every sense of the word. He reminded most of the X-Men in the room of Juggernaut, except with long, curly, mangled hair and a similar beard. This large man was also carrying a large pile of books, much more than Tom had walked in with, and it seemed to be no problem for the man.

Hagrid examined the ten students one by one as Tom magically fixed the door and left the room. The half-giant glanced back to make sure the door was closed behind him, before turning to the mutants and continuing. "Well, then," he began in the same voice the students heard earlier, "Clearly I'm neither McGonagall nor Snape, but I'm Keeper of the Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts. I also teach Care of Magical Creatures. The name's Rubeus Hagrid!" All was silent for a few moments as the mutants simply waited for the man to continue. "Well," he repeated, "the professors have finished teaching you all you'll need to know about You-Know-Who, so Professor Dumbledore sent me to take you shopping for your wands and other things down in Diagon Alley."

A few murmurs erupted before Bobby loudly asked "What's Diagon Alley?"

Hagrid coughed a few times to regain everyone's attention. "Well, it's where most wizards and witches do their shopping here in London," he replied. "We're going their soon, but first I need to give everyone their books. The Professors, including you're old teachers, have already placed you in certain electives to spread you out. You all can get to know more students that way. I was also sent to buy all of your books before coming to see you." Hagrid gestured to the piles of books he and Tom had brought in. He grabbed a stack and the group before him saw that the six books were bound by a leather cloth and there was a slip of old-looking paper attached as well. Hagrid struggled with clumsy hands to unroll the parchment and read the tiny scrawl of someone's name. "Err… These ones go to Robert Drake…" Hagrid glanced up and looked at each of the mutants. Iceman stood from his seat on an armchair and approached to grab his books.

Hagrid picked up the next stack and continued, "Amara Aquila… John Allerdyce… Kurt Wagner… Katherine Pryde… Remy Lebeau… Marie Darkholme…" The distribution of books had gone smoothly until then.

"What do you mean by Darkholme?" Rogue repeated. "That's Mystique's last name, not mine."

Hagrid shrugged, not knowing who Mystique was. "Oh… Well, it is what you'll be going by at Hogwarts," he replied, nervously.

Kurt moved to Rogue's side and put a hand on her covered shoulder, "Well, she is your adoptive mother," he said, "and I didn't even know your real name was Marie." He only got a nod in response and Rogue went up to take her books.

Hagrid fiddled with the next piece of paper as he waited for everyone to settle down. He then continued with "Lance Alvers, Pietro Maximoff, and Wanda Maximoff."After everyone had gotten their books from the half-giant, they went to their rooms to put them away before returning to where Hagrid was waiting for them in the pub. Once everyone had gathered, Hagrid led the group through the backdoor and into a small, empty alleyway.

"What are we doing here?" Rogue whispered to no one in particular.

"My guess is," Gambit replied from behind her, "we're waiting for something magical to appear."

The group watched Hagrid with speculation, doubt, or wonder. He had pulled out a pink umbrella and began tapping bricks and counting. Finally, he tapped one and stood back a little. Almost immediately the brick wall in front of them sprang apart to reveal what Hagrid introduced as Diagon Alley. "Welcome!" He exclaimed, a smile on his face as he glanced back at the astounded faces behind him. Hagrid, often sent to bring muggle-borns here for their shopping, loved seeing their reactions. "Now, let's go. We've got lots of shopping to do and all that."

"You lot are lucky," Hagrid said as he led the mutants through crowds of witches and wizards. "It isn't too crowded today." Hagrid pointed out every shop they passed by, even taking them into some. They bought cauldrons and standard potions ingredients, gloves made from dragon hide, pointed hats, and even their very own robes. They spent at least two hours in the store called 'Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions.' A set of school robes, casual robes, and dress robes were bought for each student. "The professors requested everyone bring some dress robes this year," Hagrid said in explanation.

It was getting close to five when Hagrid led the group of ten into a small, dusty shop full of shelves and shelves of long, thin boxes. "This is our second to last stop of the day," Hagrid told them. "Ollivander's Wand Shop. No place like it, really."

A brittle yet sincere laugh floated to the group from the back of the store and an old man with wide, pale eyes stepped out from behind a shelf and approached the group. He eyed each member slowly before turning to Hagrid again. "Quite the group you've brought me," he said, "there's something… special about them…" Ollivander looked as if he knew many eerie secrets that he wouldn't dare to share. It made most wonder just how much he knew, and how he came to learn it all. "Well, who will be going first, then?" Without waiting for a reply, he pulled out a magical tape-measure, turned to Amara, the nearest person at the moment, and began measuring her in every way possible. "Now, which arm is your wand arm?" He asked. Unsure of herself, Amara simply lifted her right arm. The old wizard snatched the tape-measure out of the air and returned it to his desk as he briskly walked between the shelves of his shop. He occasionally stopped and took out a box, examined what was inside, and returned it to its place with a shake of his head. Finally, he seemed satisfied with the one he found. Ollivander returned to Amara and placed it in her hand, encouraging her to "give it a wave."

Amara pointed the wand straight in front of her and moved it with a small flick of her wrist. Almost instantly, boxes of wands flew off of their shelves. Amara jumped back in surprise, and almost dropped the want she was holding. "Oh, I'm sorry," Amara exclaimed apologetically. "I had no idea. I never should have…"

Ollivander shook his head and quickly snatched up the first wand. "Don't worry about it, same thing happens to everyone." He didn't dwell on the damage done to his shop, and simply went about looking through the wands again.

Three more wands later, Amara continued with the same results. "Oh," Amara moaned, looking at the floor in shame. "This is hopeless."

The old wandmaker returned with another wand. "I highly doubt that, miss. You've only been through three wands, most go through about seven. Now, try this one," Ollivander said as he handed her a new one. "Made from the wood of an ash tree, ten and a half inches, and the core is unicorn hair." The moment Amara grasped the wand, a feeling passed through her. When she gave her wrist another small flick, small sparks shot out. "Perfect," Ollivander said, a small smile appearing on his face. As Amara reveled in the glory of having her first wand, Ollivander moved onto his next customer. The others took much longer than Magma to find the wands suited to them, and by the time they finished it was around six-thirty. Despite the infuriating trial and error process of getting a wand, all of the mutants were overjoyed at the end of it.

"We have one more shop to go to today," Hagrid informed them, "but you don't really need to buy anything." Without saying more on the matter, Hagrid led the group to a crowded-looking store entitled 'Magical Menagerie.' Before allowing them to enter, Hagrid turned and told them, "Typically everyone is restricted to an owl, a cat, or a toad, but there have been a few exceptions. If you want an owl, though, you should head to Eeylops Owl Emporium." He gestured to a shop nearby. "When you're done, you can all meet me at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor. I'm just going to head there now." With that, he left, leaving the mutants to split up into groups.

Kurt immediately knew he would be getting an owl. They had learned over the past few days that wizards and witches sent messages with owls. He was hoping to find a strong one, one that could withstand long flights, possibly over the Pacific. He glanced at the others, wondering who would go with him. "Rogue!" He finally said, approaching his sister. "I was thinking of getting an owl. Want to go with me?"

"Sure, Kurt," Rogue replied. She wasn't even sure she would get a pet, but she didn't mind keeping Kurt company.

Gambit watched Rogue for a few moments before turning and following her into the other store. Once inside he quickened his pace and fell into step beside her. "See anything you like yet, _Marie_?" He asked, casually examining the birds they walked by. He stopped and turned slowly to face a spectacled owl that was mostly black with a white underbelly and a marking shaped like an 'x' on its face. "This girl's a pretty one don't you think?"

Rogue eyed Gambit warily. "Don't… call me that," she demanded half-heartedly. She looked at the bird in question and silently agreed with him. "Yeah, she is nice," she replied as her eyes travelled to the cage next to it. "I kind of like him, though." Rogue pointed to a barn owl with a white face and underbelly, but different shades of brown on the head, wings and back. "He reminds me a little of you, _Remy_."

Gambit smirked down at the little southern belle beside him. "I guess we've found our pets, then," was all he said to that as he grabbed the cage of the spectacled owl and carefully lifted it from the shelf. He took the cage of the barn owl as well and headed to the counter to pay, not even waiting for Rogue.

Rogue raised an eyebrow, watching for a few moments before jogging to catch up to him. "I can carry him for myself, thanks," she said as she fell into pace beside him.

Gambit chuckled, "I wouldn't doubt that, Marie," he replied, "but what kind of a man would I be if I made you do that?"

Rogue couldn't help but crack a smile at his chivalrous behavior. "Fine," she replied as they reached the counter and Gambit placed the cages on top of it. Along with the two owls, they purchased food to last a while and some owl treats.

The two found themselves the first mutants at the ice cream shop Hagrid had indicated to.

XXX

Kurt didn't know much about birds, so he quickly sought out an employee upon entering the shop. "Excuse me," he asked, German accent as thick as ever. "I'm looking for a really strong, sturdy owl. Possibly one that could cross the Atlantic Ocean?" He knew it was a long shot, but thankfully the results of his efforts were not in vain.

"Such long flights require stamina," the old witch he had asked replied. "Eagle Owls are typically your best bet." As she talked, she led Kurt down an aisle filled with the aforementioned bird. "Now, normal owls, no matter which species, could never survive such a flight. Lucky for you, however, these owls aren't necessarily normal. Our eagle owls are bred for such long distance trips."

Kurt found himself in great luck as he browsed the shelves for the perfect owl. He found one; light brown feathers with their tips only a few shades darker. She was much prettier than the others who were cluttered with browns, whites, and grays.

"Ausgezeichnet…" Kurt muttered as he carefully pulled the cage from the shelves. "I'll take her," he announced to the woman helping him. He had been given just enough Galleons to pay for her, her food, and quite a few treats. Kurt exited the store and found the ice cream shop, already occupied by Hagrid, Gambit, Rogue, and their new owls. "Oh, hey you guys," he greeted them, though he was looking at their birds. "How cool! What're they're names?"

Rogue shrugged, glancing at Gambit. "I haven't really thought of one yet," she replied. "What about your owl?"

"I don't know. I haven't decided on one yet, either," Kurt replied.

XXX

Kitty and Lance entered the Menagerie together and quickly found themselves in the cat section. Lance chuckled, glancing at his girlfriend. "Thinking of buying a kitten, Kitty?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at her as he watched her look around at all of the cats.

Kitty stood up straight and looked at him. "Maybe I am," she replied. "There's nothing wrong with that." She smiled back at him, though, knowing he was only joking. "Now, help me pick one out, will you!"

Lance smiled and complied with her demands, peering into each of the cages. None really stood out to him, so he glanced at Kitty. He found her staring intently into a silver cage. "Find one you like, then?" He asked, nearing her to see what she was looking at.

"Look at that them, Lance," Kitty said softly, pointing at two kittens curled up next to each other. One was an orange, somewhat tan, color with black stripes. The other was a calico. "They're both so adorable." Kitty turned her head to look at Lance. "Which one should I get?" She asked eagerly.

Lance shrugged, looking between the two animals and Kitty. "We could get them both," he suggested. "Technically one would be mine and one yours."

Kitty's face broke into a large smile. "Oh, Lance!" She exclaimed excitedly, reaching up to hug him. "You really don't mind! Are you sure? You didn't want a pet toad or something?"

"I'm sure I can live without a toad," Lance replied with a laugh. "Now let's go pay for these two."

Kitty called over a witch from the counter and pointed out the two kittens to her. The witch looked at the couple oddly before opening the cage and gently extracting the two kittens. "You two had better get to know them, first," the woman said. "Those aren't your normal kittens. Their mothers were cats, but the father was a Kneazle." She handed Kitty the Calico and Lance the Bengal as she spoke. "I suppose, though, that they'll take a liking to you soon enough, since they're still young." Sure enough, the small kittens were already making themselves comfortable in their respective owner's arms.

Lance glanced at Kitty and the calico in her arms before turning back to the woman. "We'll take them then," he said decisively.

They soon exited the store carrying their respective new pets. It took only a few moments to pinpoint the ice cream parlor and even less time to find the table Hagrid, Rogue, Gambit, and Kurt were already sitting at. "Whoa, you guys all bought owls!" Kitty exclaimed. "They're so pretty!"

"It's not too surprising Kitty ended up buying a kitten, is it," Kurt joked.

Kitty laughed but rolled her eyes at the same time. "Yeah, whatever Kurt. Lance already made that joke," she informed him. "Besides, you probably bought that owl so you could write to Amanda!"

XXX

Wanda walked through the Menagerie with Pietro and Pyro. Neither seemed too keen on actually buying something, but they looked around for a bit anyways. Wanda followed behind slowly before stopping in front of a tank full of toads and frogs. Pyro had stopped as well to look at fire crabs. Pity those probably weren't allowed at the school.

Out of the corner of his eye, Pietro saw his sister stop and turned back to see what she was looking at. "What'd you find, Wanda?" He asked. "Toads? Are you thinking of getting it? I don't think you should. Toad would be jealous." Pietro didn't even wait for a reply as he spoke.

Wanda rolled her eyes at him. "I think I will buy one," she replied. "Because I know Toad will be jealous."

Wanda glanced around for Pyro who was now staring into a tank full of salamanders. The tank held a magical, constantly burning flame for the small white lizards to feed from. Wanda could tell Pyro was subtly messing with the flame. She moved over to him and hit his arm. "Stop it," she hissed.

Pyro glanced at the Scarlet Witch and laughed. "Couldn't help myself, I guess," he replied. "I want one of those salamanders, though. I'm sure they won't mind."

Pietro, who had strode over quickly, replied, "You don't think the school would mind a lizard living in their fireplace?"

Pyro shook his head with another laugh. "The lizard won't need a fireplace, look at that little flame," he said, gesturing to the magical fire. "He can just stay in his tank."

Wanda scowled at him. "Do what you want," she said, "Just don't get us in trouble because of it." She turned and found a worker to help her with her toad of choice. Pyro also found someone to get his salamander for him. The small lizard was placed in a large jar that also contained the magical flame. The three left the shop with only Pietro empty-handed.

They entered the ice cream parlor, attracting the attentions of the other mutants and Hagrid. Gambit's eyes fell on the jar of fire. "What is that thing, John," he asked, spotting the lizard inside.

Pyro laughed, placing the jar on the table in front of him. "Why, he's my new salamander, of course," he replied.

XXX

After everyone had gone off in groups, the two newer X-Men debated on which animal to get. "Should I get a cat or an owl?" Amara asked Bobby. They were currently in the Menagerie, but she had been thinking of visiting the owl emporium that Kurt and some others had gone off to.

Iceman shrugged, looking into a tank of frogs and toads. "I don't know," he replied. "Just… find a cat since we're in here."

Magma rolled her eyes, but moved her face closer to a cage with cats in it anyways. "You aren't being very helpful, Bobby," she informed him with a laugh. She glanced at him staring at the amphibians. "Are you seriously going to buy a frog?" She asked.

The mutant shrugged again. "I don't think so," he replied. "I kind of wanted an owl. Just to say that I have one, you know?" Bobby laughed, moving away from the frog tank. "So which cat are you going to get?" He asked.

"Hmm… I think that one's cute!" She exclaimed in response, pointing at a medium-sized cat with brown and black fur. "It looks a little like a burnt marshmallow."

Bobby looked at the cat and laughed. "You're right, she does," he replied. "You should get her, Magma. It seems kind of fitting."

Amara chuckled as she opened the cage and carried the cat out gently. "Aw, she's so sweet," she said as the German Rex cuddled into her arms. The two mutants made their way to the cashier and bought the cat before leaving the Menagerie to go to Eeylops Owl Emporium. They didn't see anyone familiar while in either store, so they assumed everyone was already in Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor.

They walked through the shelves before stopping in front of a cage containing a pure white snowy owl. Amara stopped when she noticed Bobby had and peered into the cage he was looking at. "A snowy owl, Iceman?" She said questioningly. "Seems kind of fitting."

Bobby laughed, despite the fact that it was him she was mocking. "Yeah, why not?" He replied. They weren't in the store much longer after that, and quickly left. Everyone was already waiting for them in the ice cream shop. "Hey, everyone," Bobby greeted, glancing at everyone's new companions.

Amara waved sheepishly, "Sorry we're late."

"It's all right," Hagrid replied, standing up and clapping his large hands together. "Well, I'll take you back to the pub now, I s'ppose."

The group of mutants walked back chattering happily and showing of their new pets. They followed Hagrid back to the large circular room and took their seats before Hagrid called for their attention again. "Well, I'll be back tomorrow morning," he informed them. "We'll be taking the Hogwarts Express to the school. Normally the train only runs on September first, but it's making an exception just for you all."

XXX

A/N :: Hopefully that was better for everyone than the last chapter! I know I didn't spend too much time describing anything other than their buying animals, but that was fun to write about!

Anyways, thank you for reading and reviewing the last chapter and I hope you do the same for this one as well!


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Luckily, everyone had been smart enough to pack their trunks, provided by Hagrid that day, in preparation for their journey. Sure enough, the Groundskeeper of Hogwarts arrived at 10:45, quickly announced that the train left promptly at eleven, and led them out of the Leaky Cauldron's main entrance. Both the pub and the train station were in London, and were conveniently located only a few blocks away. Hagrid walked the group there, practically parting the muggle crowd as if he was Moses. It took a little under ten minutes to get to the train station.

Hagrid walked them right up to a barrier between two platforms, one was nine and the other was ten. It looked the same as all of the others, and the mutants had no idea why Hagrid had stopped them before it. The half-giant turned around to explain to them quietly. "Now, what you have to do it walk right into the barrier," he whispered so that he wouldn't be overheard. There would be no other witches or wizards around in the middle of the summer. Hagrid received the skeptical looks with patience, he had seen them coming. "Just trust me, it'll be fine. And remember, the train leaves sharply at eleven, whether you're on it or not." Without waiting for a reply, Hagrid promptly turned and walked casually toward the barrier, into the barrier; then he was nowhere to be found.

The group argued for a few moments before most agreed that Kitty should try going through first. She was used to walking through walls and all that. "Oh fine, I'll do it," she grumbled, complying anyway. She pushed a trolley containing her trunk and kitten before her, wheeling it around to face straight into the column between platforms nine and ten. "Follow after me immediately, though," she ordered. "I don't want to be stuck on the other side all by myself." With that, Kitty strode over to the barrier and disappeared right through it.

Unsurprisingly, Lance followed quickly after her. It seemed he had safely made it through as well, so the others filed in through the pillar. They had made it onto the train platform with a few minutes to spare. Hagrid helped to store all of their trunks and cages, except for Pyro's salamander jar, in the compartment nearest to the door before boarding the train himself. "Well, you lot have free reign over whichever compartments you choose. It's a big train and there are only ten of you, so I imagine you could go ahead and spread yourselves out, do what you will." Hagrid went to the very front of the train and made himself quite comfortable in the first compartment for the entire ride.

The rest of the travelers, their respective pets in tow, found a large compartment labeled 'Prefects.' It comfortably seated the ten mutants and their assorted animals with seats left over.

"Man, how's this compartment so big?" Rogue said questioningly as she claimed one of the window seats. "From the outside it looks just like the others."

"Magic, mon Chéri," Gambit replied simply, sitting across from her. The others filed in and picked their seats. They left the sliding compartment door open so their pets could explore the train a little.

The train ride wasn't very eventful, but the mutants were glad to have some privacy on the moving train. John, for instance, spent most of his time playing with the fire in his salamander's jar. The lizard itself also had an enjoyable time because of it. Kurt teleported to the compartment full of their trunks and dug through one for a quill and parchment. He teleported back to his seat and began writing a letter to Amanda. Pietro explored the entire train in less than a minute and found a sweets cart that he moved to be near the compartment. Wanda began reading her Defense Against the Dark Arts book while Amara and Bobby skimmed through a charms book and even attempted some of the simple ones. Marie and Remy found things to talk about as the train moved. Kitty rested her head against Lance's shoulder, conversing with him until she fell asleep. All together, the trip wasn't too eventful, except for when Amara successfully made Kurt's parchment levitate.

XXX

It was well past nightfall when the train slowed to a stop. Hagrid arrived at their compartment just before the train's doors opened. "You can go ahead and leave your trunks and all on the train," he informed them gruffly. "Now follow me." He led them off the train. They emerged on a seemingly deserted train platform next to a boat harbor on a lake. "Four to a boat," Hagrid informed them, taking a boat all to himself. Lance, Kitty, Marie and Remy took one boat, Kurt, Bobby, and Amara in another, and Wanda, John, and Pietro in the final one. Once all were settled, the boats magically steered themselves forward. The river they followed through a forest opened up into a large lake. From there they found the breathtaking sight that was Hogwarts. The large, brightly-lit castle loomed closer until the boats hit the shore and Hagrid led them across the grounds and through a pair of giant double doors. It lead to a large room with another set of large doors to their left, a grand staircase to their right, another staircase leading down, and a few other corridors.

The moment Kurt stepped into the castle he noticed his watch crackle before suddenly dying. "Hey, my image inducer isn't working!" He exclaimed, hitting it with his fist. They group was stopped in the middle of the Entrance Hall. The mutants and Hagrid watched as the hologram around Kurt faded out and he turned back into his furry, blue self.

"Well, the professors will be here soon, and I've got to go back to my own hut on the grounds, so I'm sure they'll help you with it," Hagrid said, attempting to reassure him. As he headed back to the doors, Professors Dumbledore, Snape, and McGonagall emerged from a hallway by the top of the staircase.

They descended the staircase simultaneously and Dumbledore greeted them with a smile. All three seemed unaware of Kurt's normal appearance. "Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," he said. "I imagine you're hungry after the long train ride, if you would follow me." Dumbledore moved briskly toward the second pair of doors, which swung open before he reached it. The mutants followed the three professors into a giant hall without a ceiling. At least, it looked that way, but the group soon learned that the hall was charmed to look like the sky above. The large room contained a round table surrounded by empty chairs.

"Dinner is normally at six," McGonagall explained, "The other professors have already eaten. The only time dinner is late will be during the welcoming feast, when the other students arrive. They get to Hogwarts the same way you did, though only first years take the boats." She ushered everyone to take a seat before seating herself on Dumbledore's right. The Headmaster simply clapped his hands and food instantly appeared in front of them. The group of mutants, after staring for a few moments, eagerly dug into the piles of food.

XXX

McGonagall led the group of ten through the confusing halls of Hogwarts. "Until the end of summer, you will be staying in the Ravenclaw dormitories," she informed them as they walked. No one seemed to know what 'Ravenclaw' was, but they didn't question it. The professor stopped in front of a large portrait of an old man sitting behind a desk. A large book was open on the desk in front of him and he seemed to be reading it intently. Until, that is, he glanced up at them.

"Password?" He asked expectantly.

"Whoa, you can talk?" Bobby exclaimed before McGonagall could say the password for the old, painted man.

Said painted man looked at Bobby strangely before nodding slowly. "Yes," he replied. "Photos and portraits in the Wizarding World often can speak and move about. Honestly I don't understand how muggles do it, standing stiff for all eternity." He shook his head before turning back to McGonagall, awaiting the password again.

"Graphorn," the professor told the man. She took a step back and allowed the giant portrait to swing open, revealing a large hole in the wall behind it. McGonagall led them inside to a well-lit room filled with bookshelves, study tables, and four armchairs and a couch, all surrounding a fireplace. There were two more doors on the other side of the room; McGonagall walked until she was standing in front of them, before turning around to address the group following her.

"Remember the password, you'll need it to return to your rooms," she informed everyone. "Girl's dormitory is on your left, boys on the right. Before you even try anything, the staircases are charmed and will not allow males in the female dormitories. Girls, however, can go into the boy's rooms." She paused momentarily, smiling at the thought. "Breakfast begins at seven and then you begin your unofficial classes. Your teachers will jump around in their lessons to anything they think is either common knowledge or would be most beneficial. You will all also spend an hour each morning learning everything we think you need to know about the Wizarding World. Facts such as moving, speaking paintings and photos that is common knowledge for us." With that, she swept through the room and out of the portrait hole.

"Wait, Professor!" Kurt exclaimed, following her out of the portrait hole. The others simply watched him go, before spreading out and glancing through the Ravenclaw Common Room and dormitories. Pietro, Bobby, and John went through the door on the left-hand side and went about exploring the dormitories and adjoining bathrooms.

"There are seven bedrooms rooms and three bathrooms in this place," Pietro told them after running down the corridor and back, "They all have a different number of beds, too. We don't have to share anymore! I call this one!" Pietro ran for the furthest room without even waiting for the others to reply. Bobby and John glanced at each other and shrugged before claiming their rooms. Bobby took the room right in the middle of the hallway and John took the room next Pietro's.

Bobby had just fell down onto a bed when Pietro barged in. "Hey, I've found all of our luggage," the older mutant informed him. He ran back to the very first room, John right behind him. Bobby sighed, deciding to follow. Sure enough, six trunks lay at the feet or different beds in the first room. Bobby found his own, as well as his owl cage, and dragged everything to his room. John and Pietro did the same, leaving Kurt, Lance, and Remy's trunks where they were.

XXX

Meanwhile, Kitty, Wanda, and Amara made their ways to the bookshelves out of curiosity. Lance sat on one of the armchairs by the fireplace while Rogue and Remy sat on the couch. Wanda quickly found a large tome called Hogwarts: A History. She took it to one of the empty armchairs and skimmed through the pictures before flipping back to the beginning and starting to read.

It took a little longer for Kitty and Amara to find books that caught their attentions. Amara found one first. The book she picked off of the shelf was entitled Magical Water Plants of the Mediterranean. She sat in the armchair next to Wanda and glanced through the Glossary of the book before choosing a plant that sounded interesting, such as Gillyweed. Kitty finally settled on A Beginner's Guide to Transfiguration, thinking it better to begin with the first book before going through the intermediate and advanced level spells. She sat next to Lance, who looked through the book with her.

A few moments after everyone had gotten settled, Kurt returned without his normal blue fur. The other X-Men glanced up and greeted him, Rogue also adding, "So, what happened with your watch?"

"Oh, well Professor Dumbledore told me that technology doesn't work here," Kurt explained. "Too much magical interference or something. Anyways, Professor McGonagall pulled out her wand and said some words I didn't understand. Then I looked like this again!" Kurt held up his two hands to show them. They looked normal, but his fingers still looked attached. "It's the same deal with the image inducer, though," he added. "People can still feel the fur and all of that, not to mention the spell needs to be recast on me every so often." Kurt didn't stay in the Common Room for long before moving on to the dormitories and choosing the room next to Bobby's, on the side further from Pietro and John's rooms. He quickly teleported to the first room to collect his trunk and his owl's cage and teleporting them back to his room.

Amara had stopped picking favorites in her book and decided to read about all of the plants in order. She had gotten through half of the book before deciding it was time for her to sleep. She placed the attached bookmark between the pages she was on and decided to leave the book on one of the study tables. A few moments after she disappeared through the door, Wanda decided she was tired as well, bringing Hogwarts: A History to her room with her. The two couples remained awake until the clock in the corner struck eleven, before retiring to their respective rooms.

The girls, much like the boys, decided against sharing a room and picked them as they went in for bed.

XXX

The group of ten collectively made their way down to the Great Hall the next morning; no one wanted to stay behind for fear of getting lost in the large castle. Luckily, they made it to breakfast on time, though after all of the other chairs were filled by who they assumed to be the other professors. Once all were seated, Professor Dumbledore introduced the group to the other teachers while McGonagall passed out schedules for the next few weeks. "Your schedules for the summer will be similar to the normal school schedules. In the mornings are the core classes, classes every student takes. You will be taking them collectively, despite which year you will be in. In the afternoon you will be split up into the elective classes that you have already been assigned to. Eventually you will also have a short flying lesson with Madam Hooch," McGonagall ended, gesturing to another witch sitting a few seats away.

With that said, everyone began eating, talking amongst themselves and comparing the second half of their schedules. As everyone finished up, McGonagall stood once again to address the ten students. "I have already mentioned to you the classes, but there are other things that, we feel, you should learn. Voldemort and a few of his followers are quite skilled in the art of Legilimency. To put it simply, they can read minds, search memories, project images into your own head. It is much like your Professor Xavier's powers; only Legilimency can be blocked, prevented by what we call Occlumency. Professor Snape will teach you, one on one, how to prevent a Legilimens from discovering things you don't want them to know." She paused while allowing the others to take that in. "Another form of advanced magic that we believe you should learn, is that of the Patronus Charm. A patronus is the only defense against two dark creatures and can be used as messengers. Our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Rochester, will be teaching you, as a group, how to produce one."

The students again whispered amongst themselves, wondering when they would be taking these extra lessons, when Amara noticed more words had been magically added to their schedules.

McGonagall once again caught their attention. "Your free time here can be spent exploring the castle and its grounds," she said, "however it is recommended that you stay out of the Forbidden Forest. We know you can take care of yourselves, but there are creatures in the forest that we would prefer remain undisturbed." Finally McGonagall finished her speech and it was about time their first class started. Ironically enough, their first class on Mondays and Wednesdays was Transfigurations, followed by Potions.

Both classes were interesting to all of the students, who had lived through the unimaginable, but could still find things to amaze them in this new world. In most of their classes, the teachers focused more on the practice of magic, rather than theory. Most of the homework they were assigned over the summer was to either read or practice spells they had been learning, with a few exceptions. For Kurt's sake, the Charms teacher, Professor Flitwick, first taught everyone the disillusionment charm on Professor Dumbledore's request. Professor Snape was just as strict as they had assumed him to be, whether teaching Potions or Occlumency.

The latter hadn't been going very well for any of them. Snape would allow no time for rest as he probed their minds constantly for an hour. As for the Patronus lessons, the students underestimated the practice and could produce little more than silver puffs of smoke. Meanwhile, Professor Rochester's silver tiger watchfully stalked the perimeter of the classroom. The single flying lesson they had went surprisingly well for everyone, despite Amara and Lance wanting to remain only inches from the ground.

A surprising mount of information was crammed into their heads that summer, and before they knew it, September was just around the corner. "As you know," Professor McGonagall began one night just after dinner, "the other students will be arriving tomorrow night at eight. Before the welcoming feast we will have the Sorting Ceremony, of which you shall all be a part of. I suggest that tonight you pack your things; they will be moved for you once you've been sorted."

XXX

That last night of the summer they returned to the Ravenclaw Common Room, intending to pack later. They took their assorted seats around the fireplace as the discussion turned to the Patronus lessons. "Professor Rochester makes it looks so easy," Kurt said, half-complaining. He was sitting on the ground next to the coffee table, replying to Amanda's latest owl. Needless to say, the regular girl had been shocked to find the tired owl outside her window.

"Yeah," Rogue agreed, sitting on the couch with Remy again, "finding a happy memory is hard enough, I don't know what someone has to experience before being happy enough to produce one of those things."

"I've had a relatively good childhood, and even I'm struggling," Amara commented. Not only did the younger girl have happy memories, but she was also the best out of them when it came to charms. The rest excelled in other classes.

The rest of the group agreed; if Amara was having trouble, then the others would be much less lucky.

"Speaking of childhoods, how are everyone's Occlumency lessons coming along?" Kitty asked. "I'm not doing so well in them."

"Neither am I," Rogue replied. "Half the time it's not even my memories that Professor Snape's watching. I can barely think, let alone try to stop him."

A few moments later, the conversation shifted to the four Houses. "I wonder which ones we'll be in," Amara said, flipping through Hogwarts: A History again. Wanda had finished reading it long ago, as had both Kitty and Amara.

"I think you would be a Ravenclaw, Amara," Rogue said after a few moments of thought.

"Yeah, you're like the smartest one here," Kitty said in agreement.

"And you and Wanda haven't stopped reading since we got here," Kurt added without looking up from his letter. "I think you'll both be in it."

"Being in Ravenclaw wouldn't be too bad, I guess," Wanda replied shortly. "Besides, I'll be able to get away from you, Pietro." She glanced at her twin brother, only joking despite her serious as ever demeanor. Still, something had been bothering her. Ever since the Occlumency lessons began, something seemed off to Wanda. Something about Pietro and her father. The Scarlett Witch had quickly decided to simply ignore the feeling, though, as she was still unsure about it.

Amara nodded in agreement, glancing at Kitty. "You've read a lot since we've arrived too, Kitty," Amara said.

"True," Kitty replied with a laugh, "I guess we'll just have to wait and see."

The minutes passed slowly as the conversation turned to their normal classes. "What are your favorite classes?" Amara asked everyone. "I think I like Charms best!"

"That's because you're great at it, Amara," Bobby said, "and you won't let us forget it. Besides, Care of Magical Creatures is the best class we've got. Hagrid brings in some of the strangest things in the world." Some of the others nodded in agreement. The students had three electives each and Care of Magical Creatures was the only one they all shared.

"I think I like Defense Against the Dark Arts better," John put in. "I like learning about all of the darker creatures, and a lot of curses." The Australian pyromaniac gave his normal cackle of delight.

After a few moments, Kitty finally decided to say, "My favorite is Transfiguration. I would love to be an Animagus like Professor McGonagall. Besides, turning one thing into another seems extremely useful to me."

"Potions class is my favorite," Wanda said. "There is a lot to learn in there; it won't be boring."

"I liked the flying lesson we did," Pietro said after his sister was finished speaking.

"I hated the flying lesson we did," Lance replied quickly.

The others laughed, though Amara had felt the same way. "Oh Lance," Kitty said, still giggling, "You barely got off the ground."

"Yeah, and I like keeping it that way," he said. The others just chuckled again and Lance acted angry because of it.

Soon enough the topic turned yet again, this time to the teachers.

"Isn't Professor Trelawney a bit crazy?" Kurt asked Rogue and Remy. They both had Divinations with him. The three mutants had spent half of the summer with Firenze the Centaur and the second half with Trelawney.

The couple agreed whole-heartedly. "At least you won't have her during the school year, Kurt," Rogue said.

"Is she really that bad?" Amara asked. The other students had only seen her during the meals.

"The woman is a bit on the mental side," Remy replied in his typical drawl. "She keeps predicting out misfortunes. We die a different death every time we see her."

"Well, she can't be as bad as Binns," Bobby pointed out, bringing up their dead History of Magic teacher. "All of the other ghosts in the castle seem so… lively. Nearly-Headless Nick does, at any rate." The others laughed at the young mutant's slightly-funny pun.

"What about Professor Rochester, you guys?" Rogue decided to ask. "A strict teacher, but alright to have an actual conversation with."

The rest of the group nodded in agreement as Kitty added, "I think there's something going on between Rochester and Snape. Lance and I overheard them half talking, half arguing the other day on our way back from Muggle Studies. I don't know why, but they seemed to have known each other for awhile now."

"They do look about the same age," Amara replied thoughtfully. "Maybe they had gone to school here at the same time. Maybe you overheard a fight over some long-existing feud from back in their Hogwarts years."

"It probably was something like that," Kitty said, thinking it over. It did seem as if Amara was right about the two professors being around the same age. "Well, it doesn't even matter; it's best we don't meddle in their affairs. They don't need nosy mutants spying on them."

"You aren't fooling anyone, Kitty," Lance said, teasingly, "We all know you're still curious."

XXX  
A/N :: Sorry it's shorter than the last one, and I think it took longer as well. There it is, though! Just so you know the next chapter is all about Harry and his summer!

Well, thank you again for continuing to read and review, everyone! I hope you will still do so in the future!


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Harry Potter lay on his bed, staring at the cheap digital alarm clock on the bedside table. It struck 11:59 at night, sixty seconds to go. Harry rolled off his bed and stood, glancing around the room. Forty-five seconds to go as he finished packing his school trunk. Only thirty seconds to go now, they would be on Privet Drive by now, walking down the street to house number four. Harry stood in the middle of his room, back to staring at the clock. 'Three… two… one,' Harry mentally counted down. The clock struck midnight; it was finally July 31st, Harry's sixteenth birthday. The wizard sat on his bed, staring at the door intently. A few moments of silence passed. 'They should be here by now,' Harry thought, standing up again to look out the window. His bedroom faced the street, and Harry could see that Privet Drive was devoid of any movement.

The young wizard sighed, lying down on his bed. He wouldn't have to wait long, he was sure of it. The minutes ticked by and Harry slowly drifted off to sleep.

XXX

The large room reminded Harry of a dungeon, made completely of stone, no windows, and a few lit torches along the walls. A large table was in the middle of the room and seated around it were hooded wizards and witches wearing familiar masks. Harry himself was at the head of the long table, and he was staring intently at one of the Death Eaters on his left side. "Are you positive about this?" He asked. "This woman's power is finding the others like her?"

"Yes, my lord," replied a familiar voice, though Harry couldn't place who it was.

"Is she aware of her powers?" Was Harry's next question.

"She gets a strange feeling around them, but she does not know why, my Lord," The Death Eater said. Harry had, by now, given up on trying to identify the voice.

Harry thought for a few moments; the woman would be infinitely useful in tracking down others like her. He looked back at the Death Eater. "How is it that you know the reasons behind her strange feelings if she herself is unaware?"

"She told me of her vacation to Egypt last June," was the smooth reply. "She was visiting the pyramids when everything was going on."

Harry's eyes narrowed of their own accord. "You are a skilled Occlumens," he said. "Do not hide anything from me; you will regret the decision to do so."

The masked man shook his head. "I am not keeping secrets, my Lord," was the response.

Harry looked down on the man thoughtfully. "How exactly do you intend on delivering her to me?" Harry asked.

"I knew her at Hogwarts, and it will not be difficult to regain her trust," the Death Eater's smooth voice assured Harry. "I will deliver her to you before the end of the year."

Harry's eyes narrowed again. "You had better, Severus," he said, his voice cold. Harry turned his attention to a Death Eater on the other side of the table. "Amycus, did you recruit the mu—"

XXX

Harry shot up from his bed, scar burning like never before. He glanced at the clock as he rubbed his forehead; it was almost six now. Harry stood and glanced out the window again. It was still empty, no sign of a wizard saving him from the Dursley's for the rest of the summer. Harry moved back to the bed, thinking of his dream. He had obviously been watching through Voldemort's eyes. Harry had been surprised to learn he hadn't realized it was Snape that Voldemort had been talking to the entire dream; the man had been teaching him for five years now.

Harry rolled over onto his side, now facing the wall his bed was pushed up against. He wondered what they had been talking about, and who. Snape was apparently planning on kidnapping a woman who had some sort of power. 'She could track others like her,' Harry thought, mulling it over. Maybe Voldemort was looking to recruit werewolves or something, and that woman could find them. 'Snape said something about domes in Egypt,' Harry remembered. He didn't know what the Potions Master had meant by that either.

Snape had mentioned the domes appearing in June, which reminded Harry of his own experiences the previous month. Sirius was now dead, all because Harry had a vision similar to the one he just experienced. Harry turned over on his bed again, refusing to dwell on the dream. 'It's just another trap,' Harry thought stubbornly. 'I doubt any woman is in trouble of being kidnapped, especially not by Snape.'

The thoughts remained in Harry's head, though. He couldn't go back to sleep and didn't want to leave his room unless someone came to get him. The more Harry thought about it, the more it seemed as if the vision was genuine. 'What did Voldemort have to gain by showing me a vision like that, anyways?' Harry reasoned with himself. He would tell Hermione and Ron the second he was alone with them. 'I'll be with them soon, too,' Harry thought optimistically. 'The Order will come and get me soon.'

An hour later Uncle Vernon banged on Harry's bedroom door. The wizard sat up quickly; maybe the others had arrived already!

"Get up and make yourself breakfast!" Uncle Vernon yelled through the door. Harry fell back onto his bed, disheartened. They really weren't there for him yet.

Harry sighed and got up to do as he was told. The Dursley's had kept to themselves for the majority of his time there, something Harry was quite grateful for. As long as the wizard stood clear of them, they would leave him alone. Harry passed through the living room on his way to the kitchen. His aunt was on the sofa watching the news. Harry only caught a few words on some mayhem and riots in the United States, before Dudley took the remote and changed the channel.

Harry didn't pay much attention to the news anymore. Voldemort was out in the open now, and his Death Eaters were causing trouble everywhere they went. Harry didn't need the TV or newspapers to tell him what he already knew. Harry cooked himself some pancakes as the Dursley's got ready to leave. Dudley's summer wrestling team had a tournament, so it seemed Harry would be spending his birthday home alone. As he washed his plate, he heard the Dursley's exit through the front door, and the car eventually pulled out of the driveway.

Harry returned to his room, giving Hedwig an owl treat before lying back down on his bed. It seemed he was wasting his summer away in his room, just waiting to get out. Harry knew he shouldn't be feeling that way. The Dursley's were his family, and number four Privet Drive was his home. Or at least it was if Harry wanted to remain protected until he was seventeen. That was how he had to think of the Dursley's and their house. 'Does it really matter, though?' Harry wondered. It would only last him until he came of age. Exactly one year from now…

The sound of the Dursley's doorbell resonated through the house. Harry shot up and bolted downstairs. He made sure to check the peephole before throwing the door open and hugging the nearest person. Said person just happened to be Hermione. After a few moments, Harry let go and welcomed Ron in a similar fashion. The two teens were accompanied by Tonks, Moody, Lupin, and Arthur Weasley. Harry's 'saviors' entered the house quickly without waiting for an invitation.

"I was beginning to think you would never get here," Harry told them honestly. He led Ron and Hermione up to his room to get his trunk and Hegwig's cage.

"We wouldn't leave you here, mate," Ron reassured his friend with a laugh. "Especially not on your birthday."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "Speaking of which, happy birthday, Harry," she said to him. "Your presents are waiting for you back at the Burrow."

Harry smiled. "Thanks, but coming to get me from here is a present enough," he told them honestly.

"Good, then I'll be taking my present back," Ron joked. Hermione simply rolled her eyes and Harry laughed as he closed his bedroom door behind them.

"Well, I have to tell you guy something," Harry said, all joking aside. He quickly proceeded to tell them about his dream, finishing only a few moments before Mr. Weasley knocked on the door.

"It's time to leave," Arthur informed them.

"Alright," Ron called out to his father, picking up one end of Harry's trunk. Harry grabbed the other end and they began dragging it down the stairs. Hermione followed closely behind with Hedwig's cage and Harry's Firebolt.

"So how are we getting to the Burrow, anyways?" Harry asked nonchalantly. He knew they would talk about his dream once they were in the privacy of Ron's room, or something similar.

"Dad's borrowed a car from the Ministry," Ron answered. They got to the landing where Tonks and Lupin took over carrying Harry's trunk. Everything was loaded into the magically enlarged trunk while the three friends piled into the backseat. Tonks and Remus followed them, while Moody and Mr. Weasley took the two seats in the front.

"It's great to see you both again, Remus, Tonks," Harry said, as they drove away.

XXX

It was a long drive from Little Whinging to the house on the outskirts of the small, muggle town of Ottery St. Catchpole. Half-way through the ride, everyone in the back seat had already fallen asleep. They woke up again about a kilometer away from the small town. They talked the rest of the ride and, once Arthur parked the car in front of the Burrow, everyone was glad to get out of the car and stretch. Lupin and Tonks again grabbed Harry's trunk and Arthur took the rest of Harry's belongings. The four adults entered the house as the three teens slowly made their way through the front garden, taking their time.

As Harry got to the door and neither Ron or Hermione moved to open it, he led the way into the Burrow.

"Happy Birthday, Harry!"

The now sixteen year old glanced around at the crowded living room in the Burrow. The entire Weasley family, with the exception of Percy, and quite a few Order Members that Harry recognized from the summer before, were there to greet him. Before he could finish taking everything in, Mrs. Weasley pushed her way forward and half-suffocated Harry in a large hug. "Oh, Happy Birthday, dear!" She said, holding him at arms length before pulling him back into a hug.

"Oh, come on, Mum."

"The bloke needs a bit of oxygen." The two Weasley twins popped up next to their mother and coaxed her to let Harry go. The second twin, George, patted Harry on the back. "Happy birthday, mate!"

Fred said the same, shaking Harry's hand. The twin had discreetly slipped the birthday boy a colorful box depicting a young couple on the deck of a pirate's ship. "Our latest product," Fred explained quietly, a smile spreading across both his and his twins' faces. "Patented Daydream Charms, we call 'em." Harry looked at the box, unsure if he should trust the twins.

Ginny then pushed her twin brothers away. "Happy Birthday Harry," she said, glancing at the twins' gift. "Oh, don't worry about that, it is what they say. You'll only be in the daydream for thirty minutes, and you'll just be staring blankly and possibly drooling the whole time." Harry laughed and Ginny moved on as Hermione and Ron returned with their presents.

Ron pushed his present towards Harry first. Harry slowly unwrapped the small box and opened it. Inside was a familiar looking golden ball. "You got me a Golden Snitch, Ron?" Harry questioned. "It's a great present, thanks!"

Ron shrugged. "It was no big deal," he said. "It's charmed so it won't fly farther than ten feet from the owner. I just thought you might want it if ever you need to take your mind off of things."

Harry smiled, thanking him again as Hermione handed him another box. "Doesn't look like a book this time," Harry commented with a smile, "I'm surprised." The box Harry opened contained a penknife, much like the one Sirius had given him for Christmas in Harry's fourth year. "Hermione, it's…" Harry was speechless as he picked up the knife and examined it.

"It's nothing, Harry," Hermione replied, blushing slightly. "It's charmed to open any door, just like the one Sirius gave you, but you broke that one last month."

Harry looked up and smiled at her. "Thank you, Hermione," he said, sincerity clear in his voice.

The party continued, until later that night. Everyone was in good spirits all night.

XXX

Harry woke up the next morning feeling better than he had in a long time. He was sharing a cramped room with his best friend, enjoying large meals with the entire Weasley family and Hermione, and not giving a care in the world for Voldemort; Harry was too busy enjoying himself. Until, of course, Hermione cornered Harry and Ron in the latter's room to discuss Harry's dream.

"Now, are you sure this dream is real, Harry?" Hermione questioned him.

"I don't know, Hermione," he replied. "But I can't see any reason why Voldemort would willingly show me a vision like that. What can he gain?" The two boys watched Hermione as she paced the room in front of them. They knew she would come up with a conclusion.

"Well, assuming it was real and Voldemort had no control over it," Hermione began, "then this woman that Professor Snape knows is in danger. We can assume that they are within seven years of each other, since he said he knew her at Hogwarts. They must have been fairly good friends."

Ron snorted, hiding his laughter. "Snape had friends?" He said questioningly. "And a girl one, at that."

Harry laughed. "That is kind of hard to believe," Harry agreed, still chuckling.

Hermione only rolled her eyes, but she was still smiling. "Oh get over it," she ordered. "Anyways, we also know she has some sort of power; a power Voldemort needs her for."

"I think he's trying to recruit certain types of people, maybe a certain species," Harry informed them. "I've considered Werewolves and Vampires; I don't know what else."

Hermione nodded, thoughtfully absorbing the information. "I believe… that you're absolutely right on that point, Harry. We need to learn more. If Voldemort is after this woman, then we need to know which side Professor Snape is really on. We also need to find out who she is, what she is, and about her relationship with Professor Snape."

Ron laughed again. "Snape in a relationship," he explained through his chortling. Both Hermione and Harry rolled their eyes this time.

Mrs. Weasley knocked on Ron's bedroom door, informing them that breakfast was ready. "Oh, and the Hogwarts letters are here, as well."

The trio made their way down to the kitchen, deciding to sit down and fill their plates before opening their letters. Harry skipped straight to the supplies list; he never bothered with the 'welcome back' part of the letter. "We need dress robes this year?" Harry asked after skimming the list. "What for?"

Ron, sitting across from Harry, shrugged. "I don't know," Ron replied, "but we had better buy new ones. I know I've outgrown the ones from fourth year."

"You're only saying that, Ron, so you don't have to wear that horrid maroon thing again," Ginny pointed out with a laugh.

Ron turned a little red. "Well, you can't really blame me," he replied. "The point is that I need new dress robes."

Hermione rolled her eyes at the two siblings. "We're having transfer students from America," Hermione informed them, just to change the subject.

"Are we? Who told you that?" Ron asked.

"It's in the letter, Ron," Ginny replied, raising an eyebrow at her brother. "Didn't you read it?"

Without pointing out that he hadn't read that part of the letter himself, Harry went back to skim the part of the letter that Hermione and Ginny were referring to. "Ten students will be attending Hogwarts for the year, all in either fifth, sixth, or seventh year," Harry summarized for Ron.

"I can't wait to meet some of them," Hermione said. "It must be interesting living in America."

Ron only shrugged in response. "What's America got that we don't have here?" He asked.

XXX

That Saturday, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Tonks, Lupin, and Moody took everyone to Diagon Alley for their supplies. "We have the money to buy all four of you new dress robes this year," Mrs. Weasley said happily. This year only two of the Weasley's were attending Hogwarts, meaning she had more money for each of them. Not only that, but the twin's joke shop business was booming, despite the closing stores around them.

"Diagon Alley is so empty this year," Harry observed.

"Well, what did you expect, Harry?" Hermione asked. "The Death Eaters are moving around freely, now that everyone knows Voldemort is back. Everyone is being cautious and few are willing to leave their houses unless absolutely necessary."

Harry knew Hermione was probably right, so he said nothing more. After a quick, nauseating trip to Gringotts, the four teenagers went with Tonks and Lupin to pick up the robes. The other adults went to buy their books at Flourish and Blotts. They went to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, Ginny, Hermione, and Tonks immediately heading over to the dress robe section of the shop. The boys of the group decided to get Ron fitted for new school robes first.

The guys finished their shopping before the girls, who were still torn between a few options when they found them. "Which dress robes are you getting, Hermione?" Harry asked her as they approached.

"I don't know yet," Hermione replied. "Which do you like better?" As she asked the question, she indicated to the two robes in front of her. The designs, Harry noticed, were exactly the same. The only difference was the color. The first robe was light blue, with the floral design on the skirt being white. The second was a bold red color, with gold flowers.

"Go with the Gryffindor themed dress robes," Harry said, pointing at the red and gold dress. "The other one looks too much like the robes you wore in fourth year. Plus, they're Gryffindor themed."

Hermione rolled her eyes, but agreed anyways. "Alright," she consented. "But for the record, periwinkle blue and sky blue are two completely different colors."

Harry chuckled, turning back to the rest of the group. "Have you decided on your dress robes yet, Ginny?" Harry asked her.

The younger witch replied with a nod, holding up the large bag she was carrying to indicate that she had already paid for them as well.

"Alright then, if we're all finished we should be going now," Tonks said as she ushered them out the door. "We're meeting the others back in Fred and George's shop, as I'm sure they've finished their shopping by now."

Sure enough, the three adults were waiting for the group just inside the crowded joke shop. This was about the only shop Harry had seen so far with a decent amount of customers. Fred and George, who had been helping out two younger wizards with skiving snackboxes, turned as the group walked in.

"Hey Ginny, Tonks, Hermione," greeted George.

"Welcome, Harry, Ron, Lupin," welcomed Fred. More greetings were exchanged, then the twins eagerly showed Harry to some of their other products.

"Pygmy Puffs," Fred said, pointing to small balls of purple or pink fluff.

"Like Puffskeins, only smaller," George said.

"And they come in purple or pink," Fred added.

"Ginny's got one," George informed Harry. "She's named him Arnold."

They moved Harry along, pointing out their other items and telling him about them. Harry didn't get a chance to buy anything, but before the group had to leave George slipped him another box of something. "It's Peruvian Instant Darkness Powder," Fred whispered so Mrs. Weasley couldn't hear. "Ever need to make a quick getaway, just throw some of that into the air. Instant darkness, just as the title states."

"Ginny, Ron, and Hermione each have a box too," George added just before the door shut behind Harry. They waved through the windows as Moody encouraged the group to go faster.

XXX

The last weeks of summer vacation were filled with unofficial Quidditch Matches, Chess games, and last minute homework help, courtesy of Hermione. Before Harry knew it the summer was over and he, Ron, Ginny and Hermione were packing their school trunks for their trip on the Hogwart's Express. On the morning of September 1st, Harry and Ron were woken up by Mrs. Weasley at eight in the morning. "I hope you two have already packed, because we're leaving early today," the elderly witch called through the door.

Harry and Ron hauled their trunks down the stairs and loaded them into a Ministry provided car as they ate. Despite leaving the Burrow early, Harry, Ron, Ginny, and Hermione climbed onto the Hogwart's Express with only a few minutes to spare. They found a compartment occupied only by Luna Lovegood and Neville Longbottom, and decided to accompany their two friends. Greetings were exchanged, and a conversation over the summer vacation was formed. "So Luna, did you do anything over the summer?" Ginny asked the only Ravenclaw in the compartment.

"Oh, yes," Luna replied in her typical, airy voice. "My father and I visited America. He was writing an article for the Quibbler."

"Really? What was it like there?" Neville asked, turning his head slightly to glance at her. The two had been sitting next to each other when the other four entered the compartment.

"It was very nice," was the response. "Though I still wish we had gone to Sweden as planned. We were going to search for the Crumple-Horned Snorkack."

Hermione had to, again, resist rolling her eyes and informing the younger witch that those creatures didn't exist.

Harry decided then to change the subject. "So did you both hear about the transfer students?" He asked Neville and Luna.

"Oh yeah, they're coming from America, right?" Neville said.

"Yes, I hear about them, as well," Luna replied. "My dad thinks they're mutants, that's what the muggles in America call them. The story for the Quibbler that my dad was writing was about the mutants."

Though Ginny and Neville wanted to know more about them, Harry, Ron, and Hermione opted for another change of subject.

The rest of the trip flew by quickly enough; they finally reached Hogwarts at seven that evening. The group shared a carriage ride up to Hogwarts as well, and when filing into the Great Hall, decided to sit next to each other. Luna, however, parted with them for her own house table. Harry glanced up to the front of the Great Hall, seeing the Sorting Hat already placed on the stool in front of the Staff Table. McGonagall's chair was empty, since she was probably retrieving the new students. The seat next to Snape was filled by, who Harry assumed to be, the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Harry was about to point the Professor out to Ron and Hermione, but it was then that McGonagall reentered the hall. Behind her were many short first years, and behind them walked in ten older students, clearly the Americans.

The Deputy Headmistress stopped the group before the stage and moved to stand by the Sorting Hat as it began its song. It was similar to the one from the previous year, warning of crumbling from the inside. The hat had also added the importance of helping each other in times of need. Harry didn't pay too much attention; if he missed anything important then Hermione would bring it up later.

The sorting began with only the first years. Harry took the time to examine the Americans. Some of the Americans looked much older than sixteen or seventeen, but Harry didn't bother to question it, maybe the system was different in their school. Or they could simply look old. Finally, the first American's name was called. John Allerdyce, one of the older looking students with flaming orange hair that could rival Ron's, stepped up to the stool and sat on it as Professor McGonagall placed the hat on his head. A few moments later the hat yelled, "Slytherin!"

The next person to be called up was Lance Alvers, a boy with long, brown hair. He too, was sorted into Slytherin. The first girl from the group to be called up was Amara Aquila. She was tan and had long, dark hair. Harry thought she looked younger than her companions as well. Amara was quickly sorted into Ravenclaw. Marie Darkholme was next; the hair around her face was white, but everywhere else it was black. Harry also noticed she was wearing gloves. It was odd, but he decided not to question it. After a bit of time under the Sorting Hat, she became the first Gryffindor. Robert Drake was called up as Marie seated herself at the Gryffindor table. He quickly became the next Gryffindor, choosing to sit next to Marie at the table.

Remy Lebeau was next. Harry was pretty sure he was the oldest in the group. It didn't take long for him to be placed either, as the Sorting Hat decisively shouted out, "Slytherin!" Harry noticed Remy glance at the Gryffindor table momentarily, before making his way to the one at the opposite end of the hall. He shortly wondered what that had been about. Next came Pietro Maximoff, a guy with slicked back blond hair that reminded Harry of Malfoy. To make matters even stranger, Pietro was also sorted into Slytherin.

"Maximoff, Wanda," McGonagall called. Harry examined the girl who walked up. She was, apparently, related to the Malfoy-look-alike, but she looked nothing like either of them. The girl also seemed relieved when she was sorted into Ravenclaw instead of Slytherin. Next under the hat was Katherine Pryde, a girl with brown hair that was tied up in a ponytail. She was sorted into Gryffindor, and took the seat across from Marie. The final American standing was Kurt Wagner, who took a while for the hat to sort. Soon enough, though, he found himself heading toward the Hufflepuff table.

Professor McGonagall moved the Sorting Hat into the antechamber and returned to her seat as Professor Dumbledore stood to make announcements. "Welcome back to Hogwarts, and welcome for the first time here," he began, "before we eat, a few things everyone should know or be reminded of. There is a list of banned items on Mr. Filch's office door, please take the time to read it at least once before choosing to break the rules. Second, the Forbidden Forest is forbidden to all students. Third, no magic in the corridors, unauthorized dueling, or anything that causes intentional harm to either you or another student. Also, as you should have noticed by now, we have ten students visiting from America, treat them with respect, welcome them warmly, and share your Chocolate Frogs with them." There were scattered laughs around the room, and Dumbledore paused momentarily to allow them to calm. "Speaking of welcomes, Ms. Adele Rochester our new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. Feel free to share your Chocolate Frogs with her as well. Now, let us eat!" The Headmaster clapped his hands and food magically appeared on the table, courtesy of the House Elves in the kitchens below.

Harry turned to Ron and Hermione, the former already stuffing his face with the food. "What do you guys think of Professor Rochester?" Harry asked them, glancing at his new teacher. The woman had medium-length, wavy red hair that was fashioned in a loose half-bun. She had light blue eyes that were trained on Snape as she ate. The Potions Master was saying something to her.

"She's conversing with Professor Snape," Hermione noticed.

"He could just be… insulting her or something," Ron said through a mouthful of food.

Harry raised an eyebrow doubtfully. "I kind of doubt that," Harry said. "See, she's saying something now."

Hermione nodded, adding, "She doesn't look mad or anything. It looks like they're just talking to each other. "

"That, I doubt," Ron replied, not even looking at the two teachers. His companions rolled their eyes.

XXX

Nearby, Ginny and Neville had the pleasure of being the first to meet the new Gryffindors. "Welcome," she greeted the three once the food appeared. "So what years are you three going to be in?"

The girl sitting next to Ginny, Katherine, answered, "Well, Bobby and I are fifth years and Marie is a sixth year."

"Oh, I'm a fifth year also," Ginny replied. She gestured to Neville who was sitting across from her. "And he's a sixth year. That's Neville, by the way, and you can call me Ginny."

"Kitty, pass me a turkey leg!" the boy, Robert, exclaimed, interrupting the conversation.

Katherine, or Kitty as she was apparently called, rolled her eyes but complied anyways. "Right, well you can call me Kitty," she replied. "It's nice to meet you both."

Marie nodded her greetings as well, but decided to focus on eating. Bobby did the same behind his turkey leg. Neville was content only eating as well, nervous around the people he didn't really know.

"So do you all know each other pretty well," Ginny asked after a few bites of her own meal.

Kitty nodded, swallowing the food that was in her mouth before responding. "Yeah, actually," she finally replied. "The ten of us have known each other for a while now." Ginny noticed the other girl glance past Marie for a second, but the moment passed before she pinpointed where Kitty was looking.

"When did you get here?"Ginny asked. "To Britain, that is."

"Oh, we flew here in, like, July," Kitty answered. "Our school curriculum is different from the one here, so your Professors caught us up on anything we may not have covered. Our school is probably ahead of yours in other aspects."

"Oh, that makes sense," Ginny replied. "Do you like Quidditch?"

XXX

Blaise glanced between the American sitting next to him and Draco who was seated across the table. "That's a little too weird," he muttered to himself, glancing back down at his plate. The new Slytherins had taken the four empty seats next to him and Draco.

"You say something, Blaise?" Draco asked.

"No, it was nothing," was the response. Blaise glanced at the Americans again. He remembered the one next to him was Pietro, and the one next to Draco was Lance. The other two were John and Remy. "So which years are you in?" Blaise asked suddenly. He noticed that the students he was addressing were also surprised that he was actually talking to them.

"Lance and I are sixth years," Pietro replied before the others. "Remy and John are in seventh."

Lance nodded in confirmation, before asking, "What about you two?"

"We're sixth years also," Blaise answered. "The name's Blaise Zabini."

Draco glanced at the four new Slytherins for a few moments before introducing himself. "I'm Draco Malfoy," he said. His eyes landed momentarily on Pietro, but decided not to comment on the similarities between them. "You weren't on the train, were you?" He decided to ask instead.

Lance shook his head. "We got here in July," Lance replied, feeding the two wizards the same story Kitty told Ginny.

"Ah, so you've had classes with all of the teachers already," Draco said. He received a nod from Lance.

"What's the new teacher like?" Blaise asked. Both he and Draco had been wondering it.

Lance glanced at the staff table, assuming they were referring to Professor Rochester. "She's strict, but her class wasn't bad."

"Certainly was my favorite," John added from his seat beside Pietro.

"Only because you like creatures that maim people," Lance shot back.

Draco watched the exchange in amusement, before glancing back up at the woman. "Is she actually having a conversation with Snape?" Draco asked, not really for an answer, but to alert Blaise on the situation. The other wizard turned his attention back to the staff table as well.

"Looks like it," he replied. He glanced back at the American students. "You wouldn't happen to know what's going on between them, would you?"

Lance shook his head, answering, "Not really. They talk a lot; sometimes they fight. Never found out what it was about, though."

"Just thinking about Snape talking a lot to someone is weird," Blaise said.

Draco agreed with a nod of his head.

XXX

At around nine that evening, the Great Hall finally seemed empty. The Prefects had led all of the First Years to the Common Rooms thirty minutes prior, and many other students had also turned in earlier. Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville had all left earlier as well.

"Well, I'm stuffed," Ginny informed her companions. She had a fun time talking to them; even Marie began contributing to the conversation after a bit of time. "Should we all head up to Gryffindor Tower now?"

The others nodded in agreement, and Ginny led the way out of the hall. Halfway into the Entrance Hall, the witch heard someone call Kitty's name. She turned around out of curiosity. Ginny recognized the source as one of the American students, one that was sorted into Slytherin. He was followed by the three other newest Slytherins, Malfoy, and Zabini. Kitty was already happily talking to the boy who had called her name, and Ginny noticed Marie was talking to one of the other guys. Bobby decided to head right up to Gryffindor Tower, while Pietro and John headed down to the Slytherin Dungeons.

Ginny glanced back at the two wizards, who were watching the two couples with confused expressions. "Are you two dating Gryffindors?" Zabini asked, though Ginny was sure he already knew the answer.

The boy with Kitty turned back to his housemates, as if remembering they were there. Zabini's question registered in his mind and he shrugged. "What of it?" he asked.

"Lance, it's alright. Just calm down," Kitty pleaded. The boy, Lance, glanced down at her momentarily before giving in.

"I didn't mean anything by it," Zabini said. "Just wanted clarification, is all."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "What a Slytherin thing to say," she commented. "A phrase designed to save yourself from a fight."

"Oh, and what would you have done, Weaselette?" Malfoy asked, sarcasm clear in his voice. "Charge headfirst into battle without even attempting to think things through?"

"At least I can hold my own in fight," Ginny retorted. "Whether I start off with a wand or not." She was referring to an incident in Umbridge's office the previous year where she, Neville, Luna and Ron had been captured, and their wands taken, by the Inquisitorial Squad.

The four mutants, and even Blaise Zabini, stopped to watch the heated argument with interest. Blaise sincerely hoped they would duel. Either outcome, whether Draco won or the Weasley girl did, would be amusing for the spectating wizard.

"Is that a challenge, Weasley?" Draco asked as he whipped out his wand and aiming right between her eyes. In the same instant, Weasley's wand was out and pointed straight at Draco's chest. "Good. I was hoping to get my revenge after that barbaric hex last year."

"Too bad your duel won't get any farther than this," came a voice from the doors of the Great Hall. Everyone's heads whipped around to find both Professors Snape and Rochester standing a few steps behind them. It was Professor Rochester who had spoken just then. "Honestly, dueling on the first night back?" The woman glanced at the students watching. "And you five? Didn't even think to stop them, did you?" She then looked to the other Professor, who assigned the punishments.

"You five, two weeks worth of detention," Snape told them before turning to Draco and Ginny. "One month's worth of detention for the both of you."

"Right, off to your Common Rooms now, all of you," Professor Rochester ordered. "It's almost curfew."

Ginny nodded sullenly, mentally groaning as she walked up the Grand Staircase, Marie and Kitty nearby. "Bloody hell, I can't believe this," Ginny said once they were far away from the others. "Detention on the first night; Mum'll kill me when she finds out."

"I'm sorry, Ginny," Kitty apologized.

"Yeah, I didn't mean to get you into any trouble, either," Marie added.

"Oh, it wasn't either of your faults," she said quickly, shaking her head. "Let's just put all the blame on Malfoy. It's his fault, anyway."

"Why do you two hate each other, anyways?" Marie asked.

"He's an arrogant bigot," Ginny stated bluntly, and without further elaboration.

"Wow, like what makes you say that, Ginny?" Kitty asked, secretly amused by the witch's response.

"Well, our families have hated each other since the beginning of time," she explained. "The Malfoy's think of my family, the Weasley's, as bloodtraitors because we're Purebloods that consort with Muggle-Borns and halfbloods. So, Malfoy constantly mocks us being dirt poor bloddtraitors."

"Wow, what a jerk," Kitty said. They had just come to a stop before the portrait hole. It was much like the one in front of the Ravenclaw dorm, except this painting was of a woman in pink.

Ginny simply nodded in agreement, glancing at the Fat Lady and saying, "Aconite," before entering the Common Room. "I think I'm just going to head straight for bed," she informed her two companions.

The two Americans nodded, deciding to follow her up. They had classes in the morning, after all.

XXX

A/N :: Alright, much longer than last time, by about 2,000 words, to be exact! I hope you all enjoyed it, as well as the Houses I sorted them into! Otherwise, well, I hope you stick around to read more regardless!

Thanks to all who read and review!


	5. Chapter 5

Severus glared at the door as if doing so would allow him to see who was bothering him with their knocking at seven in the morning. It didn't work, and the knocking simply continued. He stood and strode to the door, swinging it open and sneering at whoever was behind it.

"Severus," his intruder greeted, raising a thin, red eyebrow at his expression.

"Adele," he returned, his hard stare softening a fraction. "Why are you pestering me at this hour?"

Eyebrow still raised, Adele crossed her arms and leant against the doorframe. "Severus, breakfast is starting now," she informed him. "It isn't that early."

Severus matched the girl's expression. "When have I ever been on time for breakfast?" He asked her.

"Never, that's why I came straight here without bothering to check the Great Hall as I passed," she stated. An amused smile was beginning to spread on her face.

Severus sighed, moving back to sit at his desk. Adele fully entered the room, shutting the door behind her. "What did you want, then?" Severus asked.

"I was going to ask about those detentions we handed out yesterday," she stated, glancing around the dungeon that served as Severus's office. "What are we going to make them do?"

"We?" Severus repeated questioningly. He examined her features, before adding, "I was under the impression they would all be scrubbing my cauldrons and alphabetizing my inventory."

"Oh it's always about you, isn't it, Severus," Adele said, waving her hand as if dismissing a stupid idea. "What if I wanted them to serve detention with me? I was there at the time, I caught the group at the same time you did."

"Do you want all of the students for detention?" Severus asked, knowing where Adele was going with this.

"No," was the reply. "I suppose I could suffice with only… four."

"I choose which students," was the demand of the Potions Master.

Adele thought it over before shaking her head. "You may pick two of the four," she replied. Her light blue eyes stared straight into Severus's black ones, a challenging expression on her features.

"You get Malfoy and Weasley," Severus finally said, giving into the staring contest with some dignity.

Adele's eyebrows rose, surprised. She had expected two wizards, but not the two that hated each other. "Is that a good idea, Severus?" She asked.

"Those are my conditions."

"You would put your favorite student through that?"

"Maybe I think it'll be good for the both of them."

"That's a lie."

"What makes you say that, Adele?"

"They'll kill each other."

"I doubt it," Severus replied. "But after a while their constant arguing will drive you insane."

Adele rolled her eyes, but smiled nonetheless. She looked back at Severus. "You can avoid all of this, you know," she said. "Just tell me what I want to know."

Severus shook his head. "You have two of them right where you want them," he said. "You will be able to figure it out on your own."

Adele stood abruptly and made her way to the door. "You're right," she said. "Whether I have your help or not, I'll figure it out. Now, let's go; breakfast started a while ago, and I'm hungry."

XXX

Draco noticed the large double doors open and both Professors Rochester and Snape entered. They first made their way toward him, probably pertaining to the detentions. Draco was, yet again, sitting with Blaise and the Americans. "Morning, Professors," Draco greeted them dryly as they reached the group.

"Professor Rochester and I have decided on how your detentions will be run," Professor Snape said, getting to the point. "Zabini, Lebeau. You two will spend detentions with me each night from nine to ten."

"Malfoy, Alvers, same thing except with me," Professor Rochester informed them. Without waiting for their replies, Professor Rochester walked along the Slytherin table, Professor Snape not far behind her. Malfoy watched as they went to the Gryffindors to inform them of similar detention plans.

"I still can't believe we have detention," Blaise complained. "All because of your little rift with the Weasley-girl."

"Wait, you have detention, Draco?" Came the shrill, unpleasant voice of Pansy Parkinson who sat nearby.

"Yes, I do," Draco replied with a sigh.

John and Pietro, both the type to laugh at the expense of others, were doing just that.

XXX

Ginny watched warily as the two Professors made their way towards them. "Good morning Professor Rochester, Professor Snape," she said nervously as they arrived. The Trio looked up at the two professors curiously, but they were ignored.

"Ms. Weasley, Ms. Pryde, Ms. Darkholme," Professor Rochester greeted them. "Professor Snape and I have decided the arrangements for your detentions." She turned only to Ginny and Kitty. "You two are serving it with me, and you, Ms. Darkholme," Professor Rochester turned back to address Marie, "will be serving it with Professor Snape. It will be from nine to ten each night for all of you." With that, the two Professors were off to the Staff Table.

"You have detention already!" Ron exclaimed before anything else could be said. "How'd you manage that? We've barely been here a day!"

Ginny rolled her eyes, waving a hand as if it wasn't a big deal. "Don't worry, Ron," she said. "I was just fighting Malfoy."

Ron seemed to think it over before calming down a little. "Did he hurt you?" He asked.

"No," Ginny replied, pretending to be offended that the thought even crossed her brother's mind. "Malfoy couldn't hurt me."

Ron chuckled slightly. "So did you win?"

"Well we didn't really start dueling; we were caught by Rochester and Snape."

"Oh. Well, I guess it's alright then."

Hermione and Harry rolled their eyes t Ron's response, the former turning to Ginny. "You really shouldn't get into fights, Ginny," she lectured. "And Kitty and Marie are in trouble now, also."

"I know, Hermione," Ginny said, patiently accepting the older girl's speech. She half-listened as Hermione continued, though it didn't take long until she was saved by McGonagall coming around with the schedules. "Oh, look at that!" She exclaimed to change the subject. Their Head of House came and went, leaving each student with a parchment. "I have double charms first with the Ravenclaws," she stated, knowing Kitty and Bobby had the same agenda. She glanced at the four sixth years closest to her. "What about you?"

"Every year double potions with the Slytherins is always first," Harry groaned, this year being no different.

XXX

Amara and Wanda took the seats near Luna Lovegood that morning at the Ravenclaw table. They had sat with the strange witch the previous night and enjoyed an amusing conversation about Nargles and Crumple-Horned Snorkacks.

"Good morning, Luna," Amara greeted her as she filled her plate with food. The two girls came from the same dormitory, but Luna was gone before Amara had even woken up.

"Hello Amara, Wanda," Luna replied. It wasn't long afterwards when Professor Flitwick arrived with their schedules. "Double charms with the Gryffindors," Luna said pleasantly. Wanda, being a year older, had double Transfigurations with the Hufflepuffs. "I have a few friends in Gryffindor," Luna informed them. "I'll introduce you both to them sometime."

Breakfast ended and the three Ravenclaws walked to their classes. Transfigurations and Charms were on the same floor, but when Wanda turned to enter her classroom, Amara and Luna continued down the corridor and around the corner. Finally finding the room, the two chose to sit in a row by the door. When Ginny, Kitty, and Bobby finally arrived, they saw their friends instantly.

"Hello, Luna," Ginny greeted her, taking the seat in the row behind her. "Oh, this is Kitty and Bobby." Ginny hadn't failed to notice that Luna had also made friends with one of the Americans.

"It's nice to meet you two," Luna said. "Ginny, this is Amara." The conversation didn't continue much further as Professor Flitwick then decided to begin the lesson. It was the typical beginning of the year lecture, followed by review of charms learned in previous years.

The double period went quickly, and as everyone was packing Amara turned to Kitty and Bobby. "Luna and I have Herbology with the Slytherins next. What class are you heading to?" She asked.

Kitty glanced at her schedule before being able to answer. "Transfigurations with the Hufflepuffs," she replied before replacing the roll of parchment in her bag. "I'll see you later, Amara. It was nice meeting you, Luna."

Ginny and Bobby also waved goodbye as they parted with the Ravenclaw friends. "So do you know any fifth year Hufflepuffs?" Ginny asked. "To be honest, I don't really know any of them."

Bobby nodded. "Our friend Kurt is in Hufflepuff," he answered as they entered the door. It hadn't been a very long walk. "So he'll be here soon."

As if on cue, Kurt entered the room and found the group almost immediately. He bounced over to them, followed by a wizard that Ginny vaguely recognized as Karina Cauldwell. Introductions were made as seats were taken. Again, the students didn't have too much time to talk; Professor McGonagall had always been one for punctuality. All of the students sat through yet another beginning of the year speech before the class actually started.

XXX

Draco Malfoy was grateful when 3:00 rolled around, signaling the end of his last class. History of Magic had left him feeling as if he just wasted an hour of his life. He, Blaise, Lance, and Pietro were on their way down to the Slytherin Dungeons. Crabbe and Goyle were following behind them, and Pansy Parkinson desperately was also trying desperately to keep up.

"At least we had that class with Wanda," Lance was saying to Pietro. "Maybe you can get her to do our homework once in a while."

Pietro snorted, shaking his head. "I doubt it," he replied. "Wanda's been a little hostile towards me recently. I don't even know what I did this time!"

Blaise glanced at the two Americans, not sure who they were talking about. "Don't tell me you have a girlfriend in Gryffindor too," he groaned in annoyance.

Pietro laughed, before answering, "No, we're talking about my sister Wanda, and she's in Ravenclaw."

"Ah, well at least I won't land myself in any more detentions," Blaise replied. "Slytherin-Gryffindor interactions seem to result in just that."

The group entered the Slytherin Common Room, taking seats by the fireplace. They were soon joined by Remy and John who returned from a different class. Blaise was the first to decide to pull out his homework, the others not caring to start until later.

"Why are you even starting now, Blaise?" Pansy asked him from her seat. She had chosen the chair closest to Draco, draping herself over the armrest nearest to him.

"Because for the next two weeks, from nine to ten, I have detentions to serve," Blaise replied dryly, as if the answer had been obvious. He didn't bother to look up from the parchment he had began to work on. The conversation that ensued around him consisted mostly of Pansy Parkinson's shrill voice gossiping with Daphne Greengrass nearby. Blaise, not particularly wanting to hear anything they were chatting about, stood abruptly and packed his things. "I'm working in the library," he announced.

Draco, eager to get away from Pansy who was slowly inching her way toward him, stood as well. "I'll go with you," he said quickly. When Pansy offered to accompany them, he quickly shot her down and practically dragged Blaise out of the room.

"Someone's a little too eager to run away from him future wife," Blaise taunted him with a smirk as they walked through the dungeons toward the Entrance Hall.

Draco glared. "Not on my life would I marry Parkinson; I don't care how close our family's are," Draco replied. "There are other wealthy, Pureblood witches that my parents would approve of. I'll marry one of them."

"There aren't too many left," Blaise informed him, even though Draco was well aware of the fact. "You're left with Daphne Greengrass, Millicent Bulstrode, Daphne's younger sister, and maybe a few others."

"Then I'll find someone foreign," he snapped. As the two Slytherins talked, they climbed flight after flight of stairs until they finally reached the Library. The place was unusually crowded, considering it was only the first night back. Draco and Blaise found to empty seats at a table that sat four people. The other two seats were already filled; one by an American girl in their year, a Ravenclaw, and the other was a Slytherin in fifth year.

"Mind if we join you?" Blaise asked, sliding into the seat across from the Slytherin girl. Draco took the final available seat across from the American, examining both girls before turning his attention to the Ravenclaw.

"You are Pietro's sister, aren't you?" Draco asked.

The girl nodded slowly. "Yes, Pietro is my brother," she replied. "I'm Wanda."

"I'm Draco Malfoy," he said, before also introducing Blaise. "This is Blaise Zabini." Draco stopped to examine the other Slytherin. "You are Calypso Black, are you not?"

The girl in question nodded slowly. "How did you know?" She asked.

"I'm a Malfoy; I pride myself in being able to recognize anyone I've come into contact with before," Draco responded with an arrogant, but joking, smirk.

Blaise rolled his eyes. "He read the name from your book," he told her, indicating to the part of the pages between the front and back covers.

The younger girl gave an amused smile, having forgotten that her name was written there on her mother's request.

"That isn't entirely true," Draco retorted, "My mother was a Black, I'm well aware of the family tree and all of that. I even had to learn about those who were blasted off the tapestry, and their relations." At the last part, Draco glanced at Calypso. She was adopted by someone who wasn't on the tapestry because Alphard Black, Calypso's grandfather, had been blasted off quite some time ago.

"Right. Well, yes that is my name," she replied. "Do you two want something in particular?"

"Don't act so suspicious of us, Calypso, we're only here to study," Blaise replied, indicating to the book and parchment in front of him.

"You're doing homework already?" Wanda asked. "It's the first day of school." She was well aware that the library was full of people, including herself and Calypso, that were probably doing the same thing, but she questioned it regardless.

Draco raised an eyebrow. "It doesn't look like we're the only ones," he said, pointing out what Wanda already knew.

"Besides, what brings you two here if it isn't for homework?" Blaise asked.

"I wanted to get out of the Common Room," was the Ravenclaw's short response.

"I'm doing a little light reading," Calypso answered afterwards, pointing to the book the two boys just realized wasn't a textbook.

XXX

Just before four in the afternoon, Kurt excused himself from the Hufflepuff Common Room where he had gotten to know quite a few students. He, along with the other mutants, still had Patronus lessons for the next hour. There remained little to no improvement for all, though some had slightly bigger orbs than others. For most, it was becoming frustrating, but whenever Professor Rochester noticed she would have them stop, relax, and eat some chocolate. Kurt made his way up the stairs to reach the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, not taking him too much time to arrive. Upon entering the classroom, Kurt was greeted by the three Gryffindors and two Ravenclaws already in the room.

"Hey Kurt, how's it going?" Kitty asked as he neared them. "How are you getting along, being the only Hufflepuff out of us?"

"Oh, I don't mind," Kurt answered. "I've met a lot of really nice people. What about you guys? Who have you met? What are they like?" Kurt turned to Marie first, wondering who his adopted sister had made friends with.

Marie noticed Kurt's eager look and shrugged. "I haven't really 'made friends' or anything like that yet," she replied.

"Oh," Kurt said, seeming more than a little put out by her answer. "Well, give it time!" Kurt looked expectantly to the next person in the group, Amara.

"Well, I've already introduced you to Luna Lovegood in Potions class," she said. "I never know what she's talking about, but it makes for a very interesting conversation."

"You're always so pleasant, Amara," Bobby informed her with an exasperated roll of his eyes. "Well, Kitty's always talking to Ginny Weasley, but I met these sixth year Gryffindors, Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan. They're pretty hilarious and are always telling me stories about how Seamus blew something up."

Just as Bobby finished his sentence, the final four mutants arrived and Professor Rochester insisted on starting the lesson. By now, there was very little learning down during these sessions. Most of it was simply trial and error. Of course, so far every trial resulted in an error for each mutant.

Half-way through the hour Kitty sighed in frustration again. Professor Rochester noticed and glanced at her from behind the desk. "Is something the matter, Miss Pryde?" She asked, about to break off another piece of chocolate and hand it to her.

Kitty declined with a shake of her head. "No thanks, Professor," she said. "I was just wondering, exactly what kind of memory do we need to be thinking of? I get that it has to be a happy one, but that's gotten us nowhere."

Professor Rochester nodded slowly, taking in Kitty's question. She leant back in her chair, biting her bottom lip thoughtfully. "How should I put this?" She asked herself rhetorically. "Alright, well, it really isn't the memory itself; you need think about how you felt while the memory was happening. Relive the event and feel the joy that you felt at the time. Does that help you a little?" Professor Rochester ended with a question.

Kitty nodded slowly, as the other students, who had stopped their incantations to listen, also absorbed the information. "It makes sense," she finally said, though there was a hint of doubt in her voice. "What kind of memory did you think of? What made you happy enough to be able to produce a Patronus?"

Kitty noticed the rueful smile appeared on her teacher's face, but it was gone soon after, blown away by the sigh that followed. "Something akin to love," Professor Rochester replied just loud enough for all of the students to hear. The room was silent for a few, long moments before the teacher seemed to regain herself. "Right, well that wouldn't help any of you," she said. "You're all much too young to know how any of that feels. Just think about… Christmas at the age of five, you must have gotten some amazing present from your parents. A racing broom, perhaps?"

Kitty nodded silently, knowing that none of the mutants had received racing brooms from their parents as children. Only Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, and Hagrid knew they were mutants, though, so she said nothing of it. The rest of the lesson went as the previous ones had, still with no success from the students.

XXX

It was a few minutes before nine when Ginny reached Professor Rochester's office and knocked on the door. The new teacher let her into the room and motioned for her to take a seat in front of a large desk. The office had changed a lot, compared to the decorations of the previous year. Umbridge had filled the room with ornamental plates depicting large, colorful cats. Along the wall attached to the door was a large, wooden bookshelf containing many different books. Along the opposite wall was the teacher's desk, slightly cluttered with parchments, inks and quills. Directly behind the desk was a row of large windows, the dark green curtains drawn back to allow moonlight into the room. On a third wall was a large, roaring fireplace that lit the room well. The mantel displayed many thin booklets, all entitled 'Playbill.' On the final wall were two doors, presumably leading to Professor Rochester's private quarters and the Defense Against the Dark Arts room.

In the middle of the room were four chairs, all facing the desk. Only one of them was empty, the one Ginny then seated herself in. She hadn't failed to notice that Kitty and Lance were there, but the person who caught her attention was Draco Malfoy. He looked just as astonished and disappointed to see Ginny was there as vice versa. As she took her seat, Professor Rochester took sat as well. "Great, I suppose we can start now that we're all here," she began. "I have a few creatures I'm showing to the younger students, so tonight you'll simply be preparing their meals for me." As Professor Rochester said this, she conjured a long, plain table in front of the group. She also conjured four knives and some vegetables for each of them. "Diricrawls are quite fond of cabbage, you see," Professor Rochester explained as that was what popped up in front of Draco and Ginny. "And Pogrebins love garlic."

Ginny raised an eyebrow at the task before her, it certainly wasn't the detention sentence she was used to. She glanced at Kitty, who had began slicing up the garlic without a complaint. With a sigh, Ginny picked up the knife and began cutting the vegetable. Well, if she was going to be stuck here for a month, she might as well take the easy punishments without question.

Draco Malfoy, on the other hand, couldn't believe he was wasting one hours of his life chopping up vegetables. Being a Malfoy, however, he voiced no opinions on the matter and sliced the cabbages without complaint. At random times, his eyes flickered around the room and at the other occupants. Lance looked more than a little agitated as he cut up the garlic, but his girlfriend didn't seem to mind too much. Weasley, sitting on the other end of the table, had resigned herself to simply following orders. Professor Rochester in front of them sat at her desk grading papers. Every so often Draco would saw her eyes glance up at each student in turn. Draco noticed early on in the detention that the Professor often lingered on Lance and Pryde longer than she watched either Weasley or himself.

Adele glanced at the clock on the wall just before it hit ten in the evening. "Well," she began, looking back at the students, "I suppose I've kept you all up late enough. It's curfew so you had all better hurry back to your Common Rooms. Return here tomorrow night, if you would." The four students shuffled out silently; probably relieved they were finished for the night. The teacher banished the knives, all made of pure silver. She proceeded to scoop the cut up cabbages into a jar, doing the same with the garlic. She then banished the table and removed the chairs to their original positions in the office. She was just about to retire through the door leading to her private chambers when she heard a knock on her office door.

She glanced around the room as she approached, not seeing anything one of the students left behind. She opened the door curiously, and found Severus standing impatiently behind it. "Severus, to what do I owe this honor?" She asked, stepping aside to admit him into the office.

The Potions Master entered and moved through the room, examining it. He stopped by the fireplace before he turned back to her a spoke. "Have you drawn any conclusions yet?" He asked in a disinterested tone.

Adele shut the door and watched him survey the room. "Not yet," she replied slowly. He knew the mystery was bothering her, but she refused to show it. She was a Slytherin, after all; she could reign in her emotions.

Severus eyed the jars she had left on her desk. "You made them prepare your dinner for tomorrow?" He said questioningly, an amused smirk on his face.

"No, of course not," she replied. Adele knew simply saying that they cut food all night would make her feel a little stupid. "I simply eliminated a few of my choices. And prepared food for the Diricrawls I have for the second years."

Severus decided that, for Adele's sake, he would ignore that last part. "What is it that you've crossed off your list, then?" He asked.

"Every magical being in existence," she replied, anger seeping into her voice. "So you should just tell me what they are, and I'll hand out normal punishments like taking inventory or cleaning cauldrons."

"The students hate it," he assured her. "But it doesn't matter, I won't tell you. Why don't you try being more specific?"

She rolled her eyes, but conceded. "Fine. They aren't vampires or werewolves," she began. "They're not hags or banshees," Adele began naming off a few other magical beings she could think of. "They certainly aren't Veelas, although the Malfoy boy may have some Veela blood in him."

Severus gave an uncharacteristic snort of laughter. "No, the Malfoys are all simply… well-groomed," he informed her.

Adele laughed, moving to perch herself on the edge of her desk. "Is he as vain as Lucius and Narcissa were?" She asked jokingly. The couple was older than them, but they were still attending Hogwarts when she and Severus started.

"Thankfully he isn't," Severus drawled. "I'm not entirely sure that's even possible. Lucius spent hours getting ready in the morning, while it only takes Draco thirty minutes."

"The same can be said for Narcissa," Adele added. "It's fitting, considering her namesake."

Severus nodded, smirking. He glanced around the room again, eyes falling on the mantel and the items on top of it. "Playbills?" He said questioningly. He turned his head slightly to look at her, and raised an eyebrow. Despite returning to Hogwarts in the summer for the mutants, Severus had never visited Adele's office.

She nodded her head curtly in response.

"Where exactly did you go after graduating?" He asked.

"Muggle New York City," she answered. "Broadway, as you can see. I sold tickets and ushered; it was a fairly rewarding job, since I was able to watch all of those musicals."

"How long were you there?"

"Only a little over two years, and I went back last Christmas," Adele replied, wondering why he was asking all of these questions. "I've been living in England since the news about Harry Potter defeating You-Know-Who reached me. Not that it matters since he's back now…" Adele muttered the last part, but knew Severus had heard her.

"You left to get away from the war," Severus stated.

"For the most part, yes. I wasn't going to fight against him; I knew I wouldn't have survived one encounter," she said. "But I wasn't about to join him either." Adele's eyes caught his, and Severus was unable to glance away. "A half-blood fighting for a pureblood supremacist? I wasn't too fond of the thought." After a few more moments, Adele turned her head away, sighing. "I don't know, though," she continued. "I suppose there were other reasons, but it doesn't matter. It's late though, and we both need sleep." Her eyes flickered to the clock on the wall, but the time never registered in her mind.

Snape, silently grateful he was no longer rooted to the spot by her light blue eyes, nodded his consent and strode to the door. "Goodnight then, Adele," he said before exiting the room and shutting the door behind him.

XXX

Harry, Ron, and Hermione sat in their normal chairs around the fireplace in the large circular Common Room. Bobby was also sitting with them, telling the Trio about America as they waited for their friends to return from detention. A little after the clock struck ten, Kitty and Ginny entered through the Portrait Hole.

"Hey you guys," he greeted, waving the two girls over. "Marie isn't with you?"

Ginny shook her head. "She had detention with Snape in the dungeons, so she'll probably be here soon."

"Ahh, okay," replied Bobby, accepting the answer.

"So what'd Rochester make you do, Gin?" Ron asked curiously.

"We just had to cut up cabbage for the entire time," she replied.

"You were cutting cabbage," Kitty said, emphasizing the 'you.' "I was stuck chopping up garlic and now I smell gross." She wrinkled her nose in disgust, while her companions chuckled good-naturedly. Just then Marie returned from her own detention. "Hey Marie," Kitty greeted her as the other mutant to the last available armchair by the fire. "How'd your detention go?"

"Oh, about as well as all detentions go, I guess," Marie replied. "I had to scrub cauldrons all night. I don't even want to know what kind of potions those things held… What did you two have to do for Rochester?"

"Sliced up vegetables," Ginny answered. "It was easy, but way too boring. Hopefully we're doing something else tomorrow night. I don't even care how tough the punishment is, I just don't want it to be dull."

"I'm fine with anything as long as I don't have to interact with any garlic," Kitty said.

Marie rolled her eyes, saying, "I would trade with either of you in a heartbeat. Scrubbing cauldrons is much worse."

Ginny looked thoughtfully for a moment. "Yeah, you're probably right," she said. "Forget it, I think I'd rather stop complaining."

XXX

Draco and Lance entered the Common Room, both grateful to find that it was fairly empty. There were a few others scattered around the room, but the two made their way to where Blaise, Remy, Pietro, and John were sitting. They were with three others, all of which Draco recognized. "Thruston, Black, Nott," he greeted as he and Lance reached the group. "What brings you three here?" They took the final two armchairs near the fire as he asked the question.

Nott raised a questioning eyebrow. "We now need a reason to introduce ourselves to the new Slytherins?" He asked. "I'm sorry, I hadn't known."

Blaise rolled his eyes at his two long-time roommates. They didn't like each other much, but mostly because Draco received enough insubordinate comments from Blaise himself. Nott acted the same way, but couldn't pull it off without Draco hating him because the latter wasn't used to it from anyone else. "They were here with Pietro and John when we arrived," Blaise informed Draco quickly, before the other could respond to what Theodore had said. Draco rolled his eyes, but said nothing.

"I take it you've just arrived from detention as well, Draco," Calypso Black said, effectively breaking the silence and changing the subject. "Who did you have it with?" Before he and Lance had returned, Blaise only had time to explain his and Remy's detention with Snape.

Draco nodded curtly. "Rochester," he replied. "The woman had us slicing up cabbages and garlic the entire hour. It makes one wonder what Snape sees in her."

Oralie Thruston, a seventh year with short, straight black hair and the same color eyes, glanced at him with confusion. Draco recognized her as the sole daughter of Orsino Thruston, drummer or the Weird Sisters. "What do you mean by 'sees in her'?" She asked.

"Snape's always with Professor Rochester," John informed her. "They hardly talk to anyone else."

"Now that you mention it, I do always see them talking at meals," Calypso added thoughtfully.

Blaise rolled his eyes again. "I know it's astounding and everything, but do all our conversations have to revolve around Snape?" He asked. "We've already gone over all of this."

Theodore nodded. "Certainly, Blaise," he replied casually. He glanced at the four Americans, focusing on Remy, then Lance. "So I hear you both have girlfriends in Gryffindor."

"Really?" Calypso said, her attention turning to them. "Let's meet them!"

Oralie nodded in agreement. They may be Gryffindors, but they were Gryffindors that attracted the affections of Slytherins. "Oh, and didn't you say your sister was in Ravenclaw, Pietro?" She added. "I wouldn't mind meeting her, either."

"Dumbledore is setting up that lunch for us," Remy said. "So we could all catch up."

"Yeah, I'm sure we could bring you all," John added. "He said we could."

XXX

Kurt sat in the middle of the sofa in the Hufflepuff Common Room, sitting between Karina Cauldwell and her younger brother, Owen. The blue mutant had met a lot of Hufflepuffs, mostly sixth years, but some others. Of those he met were Ethan Whitby, Susan Bones, Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbott, Zacharias Smith, and Demelza Deverill.

"I've been to America quite a few times," Zacharias was saying. "I could probably tell you all about it."

"As tempting as that offer sounds, no thanks, Smith," Demelza said. She was met with a glare from the pompous Hufflepuff. "I'd rather hear about America from someone who has actually been to the country."

Zacharias opened his mouth in protest, but Ernie Macmillan cut him off. "I think we should all head off to bed now," he announced, rising to his feet and stretching. Ernie made for the door to the boy's dormitory, dragging an annoyed Zacharias Smith with him.

Kurt laughed with the others as they watched to two leave. Soon after, Susan Bones, Hannah Abbott, Ethan Whitby, and Owen Cauldwell left for their own beds.

"Sorry about Zach, Kurt," Demelza apologized for her Housemate. "He tries too hard to be a know-it-all."

"Oh, it's alright," Kurt said with a short chuckle. "He does seem a bit stuck up, though." Karina and Demelza both laughed, nodding their heads in agreement.

"So Kurt, tell us about your girlfriend," Karina demanded with a smile, nudging him.

Kurt laughed; they had been bugging him to talk about Amanda earlier. "Alright, alright," he conceded. "I don't really know what to say, though. Amanda is amazing, simple as that."

Demelza rolled her eyes at Kurt's short 'description' of his girlfriend. "Yes, but what is she like?" She asked. "Is she pretty, smart, or what?"

"Well of course Amanda's pretty, she's beautiful!" Kurt exclaimed. "She's smart, funny, understanding…"

"That's better, Kurt," Karina said with a smile; the two girls were finally satisfied with his answer. Kurt continued, telling them what he could without giving away anything about being a mutant.

XXX

A/N :: Well, it took a bit of time, but here it is! A hope you all like it as much as you seemed to enjoy the previous chapter! Just a heads up, the next chapter may take a bit longer as I'll be a little busy.

Thank you for reading and reviewing! Please continue to do so!


	6. Chapter 6

Rabastan Lestrange could not believe his luck. Or how stupid these mutants seemed to be. A small amount of the Inner Circle was sent to different areas of the United Kingdom, prowling the muggle streets under disillusionment charms for any signs of mutants. It was difficult, since powers varied from mutant to mutant. He and Augustus Rookwood were in Wales when they overheard two young girls talking quietly in a dark alley. One was tall and blonde, with a thick Russian accent. With her was a shorter girl with black and pink hair, clearly a native to the area.

"You must go with them," Magik had been saying to the younger girl. "They will protect you from a greater evil."

Pixie was still confused. "How can you be so sure?" She questioned. She hadn't known Illyana for very long, but she already trusted the other mutant with her life. Still, Megan Gwynn was skeptical.

"They'll help you, I promise," Magik replied in a reassuring tone. "But you must swear to me that you won't tell them you've met me. No one can know." Once her brother had entered the country, it hadn't been hard for Magik to track him down. She watched, unnoticed, as they gathered a few mutants for their cause. She wasn't at all surprised when they approached Pixie, as well. While tailing them, Magik had gathered the reasons behind their visit to the country. In truth, Illyana still found the concept of wizards unbelievable. Then again, she was a mutant.

"How do you know them?" Pixie asked curiously. Before a response could be voiced, she added, "You do owe me some answers, you know."

Magik sighed, nodding. She didn't blame Pixie at all. "My brother is with them," she replied shortly. She then repeated, "But he can't know I'm here. He doesn't need to. I plan on returning home in a few hours. If he knew I was here, he would just worry about me."

Megan Gwynn hadn't been expecting that answer, and nodded in understanding. "I see, don't worry. I'll keep your-"

Illyana Rasputin stopped Megan midsentence, glancing down both sides of the street cautiously. "Something's here," she muttered cryptically to the other mutant. "We must leave."

Megan nodded slightly, a worried expression crossing her face as she glanced at each of the alley entrances in turn. "Where should we go?" She couldn't see anyone.

"Fly to England. Find my brother" Was the short, murmured reply.

"What about you?"

"Leave me," came the concise order, "Now."

Rookwood realized that their presence had been noticed and shot a Stupefy at the blonde girl.

"Run!" The blonde yelled, as she fled in the other direction, Stunning Spells still flying at the two girls. A shimmer appeared around the smaller mutant and fairy-like wings were suddenly visible on her back.

Lestrange didn't know what had just happened, but decided better than to question anything in the heat of the moment. He began down the alley, Rookwood behind him.

Megan took to the sky, watching the other mutant from the corner of her eye. She began West, in the opposite direction as Illyana. Turning back for a split second to check on her friend, Pixie watched from a distance as Illyana fell to the ground. The cloaked men turned to look up at her, but didn't get a chance to attack. Pixie flew away into the night, following her fallen friend's advice. She had to find the mutants who offered her a safe haven in America.

Back on the ground, the two Death Eaters prodded and examined the stunned mutant before them. "Incarcerous," Lestrange said, his wand pointed down at the body. Ropes shot out of the end of his wand and wrapped themselves around her body. He then bent down to grab a hold of her wrist and, without waiting for his partner, Apparated back to Headquarters.

XXX

When they weren't teaching the new mutants, Scott and Jean took some others in search of more new mutants. Today the Professor was having them locate Alison Blaire in Gardendale New York. It didn't take long to drive from Bayville to Gardendale, but the mutant they were searching for wasn't in her house. "Do you know where we may be able to find your daughter?" Scott asked as politely as possible, while receiving a hate-filled stare from the girl's father.

"She's off with her friends," the man simply repeated.

Jean placed a comforting hand on Scott's shoulder. "Sir, we must speak to you about an important matter concerning your daughter. If you could let us inside, we'll explain everything."

The man was about to say something when an old woman appeared behind him. "You should let them in, Carter," she said, "see what they have to say." The man stood silently for a few moments before finally complying. The old woman led the five teenagers into a living room. "I'm Bella, and I apologize for my son," she started. "I am curious as to what you have to say about my granddaughter. Are you friends of hers?" As Alison Blair's grandmother spoke, the father followed silently into the room and stood quietly by the doorway.

Jean decided to speak for the rest of them. "Not exactly," she replied, "but we would like to help her. We believe Alison has developed mutant abilities and we would like her to join the rest of us at the Institute."

"I knew you looked familiar," Carter said, before his mother could respond. "You've been on the news with the rest of your school. She isn't going."

"Carter, that decision is Alison's to make," the grandmother said. Her tone was gentler than anything.

"Alison already has a future, she's going to law school," he said. "Being found out as a mutant could jeopardize that."

"Yet another choice that Alison alone must make," the old woman replied.

"Mr. Blaire," Jean decided to cut in, "regardless of how many people know she's a mutant, she is one. She can't run from her powers, and without proper training she won't know how to hide them, either. The Xavier Institute can help her control them." Jean turned to Bella. "But you're right; it is her choice to make. The sooner she decides, however, the better. Do you know when she'll be back?"

The grandmother glanced at her son and sighed. "She won't be long. We sent her out to pick up a few groceries," she answered, much to her son's chagrin. As if on cue, the front door opened and the teenager they had been waiting for appeared in the doorway.

"I'm home," the new-comer announced, before noticing the company. She placed the grocery bags on a nearby table slowly, eying the group of strangers, "What's going on?" She asked, glancing between her father and her grandmother. They both looked to Jean, who took it upon herself to explain.

The room was silent for a few moments after Jean's retelling of their purpose. Bella sat calmly next to her granddaughter, who didn't say a word. Finally, Mr. Blair broke the silence. "There, I think my daughter's reaction says everything. She doesn't want to go to your mutant school. She's staying here and-"

"Dad," Alison's voice cut him off sharply. "I do want to go with them." Her voice was quieter now. She turned to face him. "Remember when I preformed in middle school and everyone was blinded. That was my fault. I need this. I need to learn better control over my powers."

Jean watched the girl in silence. She knew that was only half of what Alison wanted to tell her father. She wanted to leave so her father would stop pushing the idea of law school on her. She wanted to perform like her mother did. She wanted to tell him that she knew her mother had been an actress, and question why he had kept that a secret. Alison Blaire didn't say any of it.

Jean glanced back at the father, inner turmoil raging within him. He didn't say anything for a time, one couldn't argue with that logic. Eventually, he turned his head away and consented with a slight nod.

XXX

Pixie followed Magik's brief instructions, flying as close to England as she could get before landing near an empty road and continuing her journey on foot. She was in an uninhabited area, not counting the large manor she could see through the trees up ahead. 'I wonder who lives up there,' she thought. The building seemed to grow larger as she neared it. The road before her curved, and as she followed it she noticed that it would take her right up to the gates of the house. The Manor had an extensive front lawn, and she could see apple trees planted only a few meters away from the surrounding wall. "I wonder..." Pixie muttered to herself. It wouldn't be too hard to fly over and pick a few apples. The owners would probably never notice, and if they did it shouldn't matter since they're rich.

On the other hand, they probably had a lot of security. Maybe even guard dogs. Pixie couldn't risk getting caught. She had to find Magik's brother. She knew she was told not to tell them about her, but now that Illyana had been kidnapped, everything was different. She had to tell them... Just then, Pixie's stomach growled. "It shouldn't take too long..." she finally reasoned to herself with a sigh.

Pixie flew over the gate and made a beeline for the trees, not bothering to land. She wouldn't have been able to reach the apples from the ground anyways. The apples were a little smaller than the ones sold in the grocery, but she soon found that they were much more delicious. "Maybe just... three," she muttered as she hovered near the tree and grabbed the closest ripe apples nearby.

"Hey!" Pixie almost dropped everything, as she froze where she was, facing the tree. She couldn't see who had caught her, but could tell it was a girl that didn't sound much older than her. "What are you... doing?" The voice asked, considerably closer now. It sounded as if the girl wanted to stop her question earlier than she did, but thought against it. Pixie slowly lowered to the ground and turned around to face the owner of the apples. To her surprise, the girl wasn't alone. A boy, clearly her brother, was with her. They looked very similar, though the girl's hair had purple streaks.

"Sorry," Pixie started lamely. She didn't know what else to say. It was obvious they figured she was a mutant, or something otherworldly, but she couldn't very well tell them that she was searching for her friend's brother because she was kidnapped and she wanted to return to America with them. The pair of siblings before her didn't seem to be paying attention; they were staring at each other. It looked like they were having a conversation, but their lips weren't moving. Under normal circumstances, being ignored like this would annoy her. Then again, she flew over their wall and was stealing their apples.

Eventually, the boy turned to her. "Who are you?" He asked in a demanding tone. "And what are you?" Unlike his sister, he didn't seem to care much about manners.

"My name's Megan Gwynn," she started, not bothering to lie. "I'm a mutant, as I'm sure you've already figured out."

At the word mutant, the girl glanced quickly at her brother. They seemed to share another mental conversation before she was the focus of their attentions once again. "What were you doing here?" She asked.

"I was hungry," Pixie stated. She proceeded to tell them the rest of her story, no longer caring. She hoped that honesty would help her get out of their faster than lying would. Plus, she was a bad liar. The boy's expression, Pixie noticed while speaking, remained blank. The girl's remained mostly surprised. There was silence for a few moments after she finished. Again, the two seemed to speak to each other. It was only now starting to annoy the mutant. Finally, the girl turned to her and spoke.

"These people you're looking for," she began. "Were there four of them; two older men, a woman, and a young man around our age."

It was Pixie's turn to give them the suspicious looks. "How'd you even know that?" She asked. She hadn't said much about who had come for her. Though she mentioned the visitors, her tale mostly focused on the conversation with Magik.

"We're mutants as well," was the answer. This time it was the brother who had spoken. "They approached us this morning while our parents were out. They don't know about it, they would try to stop us if they did..." For the first time that night, Pixie noticed that both were carrying backpacks. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. What luck she had! Not only were they mutants, but they were heading toward the same people she was.

"So you know where they are?" Pixie asked excitedly. The small nod of affirmation was all Pixie needed to mentally burst out in joy. She remembered where she was just in time, and was able to avoid making a noise. "So, you'll let me go with you, right? I won't get in trouble for being here or... stealing your apples?" She asked, ending in an apologetic tone.

The girl laughed as loudly as she thought possible under the circumstances. "You're fine, don't worry, Megan," she assured her. "I'm Elizabeth Braddock, by the way. But most just can call me Betsy. My brother here is Brian."

The group exited the property quietly, they had a key and were able to slip through the thankfully quiet gate. Betsy explained in more detail the visit from the American mutants, and where they were asked to meet them, if they wanted to go to America. She also explained their mutant powers. They were both simple enough. Brian was super strong and fast, and Betsy was a telepath. So far she couldn't do much other than read and project thoughts, and project herself onto the astral plane. Pixie thought they had great powers. She herself only had retractable pixie wings, hallucination-causing 'pixie dust' and the soul dagger, ever since her very first encounter with Magik.

The three mutants were heading towards a town that was only a kilometer or so away. An easy enough distance to walk. They had been told by Magneto to meet them in the pub and hotel called "The Snail's Whale."

"That's an odd name for a pub," Pixie commented as they finally entered the small town. She let the other two lead, as they had been into this place many times before.

XXX

The Blackbird landed in the mansion's hangar and opened to allow Professor Xavier, Storm, and a new mutant out. The last was a girl of about sixteen. She had long red hair and a completely silver body. The professor mentally called all of the X-Men to another meeting in the dining hall. There were two new faces in the Institute tonight, and Charles would make sure they were welcomed by all.

Everyone was gathered by the time the group of three reached the large room. It was the only room that fit everyone, even with some at Hogwarts and Magneto's team also in Europe. Upon entering, they were joined in the front of the room by Jean and Alison Blaire. Charles wheeled his chair around to face everyone. "Students, I'd like everyone to meet Alison Blaire and Cessily Kincaid," the Professor said, getting straight to the point. He indicated to each one in turn, allowing everyone to make side comments for a moment. He stopped them after a bit. "Jubilee, Alison will be your new roommate," he informed her, "and Cessily will room with you, Rahne." He then went back to addressing everybody in the room. "Please, try to make them feel as welcome and comfortable as possible. They will begin attending Bayville with you in a week."

With everything said and done, the meeting was adjourned; Charles returned to his office with Cessily in tow. For her, there was one last piece of business to attend to. Her mutant appearance would require a bit of disguising, and Charles had just what the sixteen year old would want. The image inducer, an exact replica of Nightcrawler's, was given to her.

After a quick tutorial, Cessily left and headed toward where the Professor said her room was. She entered and found her roommate ready for bed. Rahne Sinclair jumped up and greeted the new mutant eagerly.

"You can call me Wolfsbane," Cessily was informed.

"Why does everyone have nicknames, anyways?" The newer girl asked.

"Identity reasons, I guess," Rahne answered, sitting back down on her bed, and motioning Cessily to do the same.

"I guess that makes sense," Cessily said as she sat down as well. "Spiderman never reveals his real name, after all." She shrugged, glancing around the nice room. Her things had already been piled onto her own bed. She looked back at her roommate. "So what's your power?" She asked.

Rahne gave the girl a wolfish grin and began to shift into one. Cessily laughed, saying, "That makes sense." Rahne nodded and barked once before morphing back. "That was incredible, Rahne," Cessily informed her. "That's a real superpower, not like what I have."

"Your power seems pretty cool, too," Rahne denied. "Your body's just metal, right?"

"Not exactly," Cessily responded. She shut off her image inducer and placed her hand on the bed between them. "It's actually non-toxic liquid mercury. I can change the shape to almost anything, I can become a puddle on the floor, and I guess a few other things." To prove this, as she was speaking Cessily's fingers elongated and sharpened.

The other mutant's mouth dropped in amazement. "How is that power worse than mine?" Rahne half-exclaimed, half-asked. "It sounds like you can do anything!"

"I doubt it," Cessily replied. "And I can't look normal without this image inducer."

"That doesn't mean anything, Cessily," Rahne assured her.

"Except that I'm stuck hiding behind this watch," Cessily interrupted her. "Before I got here, immediately after my powers manifested, my parents refused to let me out of the house, or near a window. They said it was for my own safety, but I'm not an idiot. After everything that had happened recently, they couldn't deal with the thought of having a mutant daughter..."

Rahne was silent afterwards; her parents hadn't been like that, but she knew many other X-Men in similar situations. "Sorry for rambling," Cessily finally said, breaking the silence. "I'm a little tired, I had a long flight."

Rahne nodded. "Night, then."

XXX

Sabertooth, after confirming their identities, allowed the three younger mutants into the hotel room. They had secured a few of the rooms above the pub for the night, to await the sibling's decision. Needless to say, the Acolytes were surprised to see Pixie with them.

The room was occupied by Colossus, Magneto, Mystique and Sabertooth; the three mutants were already familiar with them. The two other mutants in the room were introduced as Thomas Jones and Theresa Cassidy.

The Acolytes weren't a very talkative group, but the younger mutants had a lot to say to each other. "How'd you end up here, Megan?" Theresa was the first to ask. "I thought we were only waiting for Betsy and Brian."

"Well, a friend approached me earlier tonight and told me I should travel to America with you," she began. As she said this, she turned to glance at each of the Acolytes in turn. If she had to guess, Colossus was probably Illyana's brother. "Actually, during that conversation, my friend was kidnapped. I was able to fly away, but she was hit by something – a strange beam of light – and fell." She turned to Magneto, as it was clear that he was the leader. "I came hoping that you would help find her."

Magneto, and everyone else, had been listening intently to the story. "This friend of yours was a mutant?" Magneto asked. At Megan's nod he continued. "Who is she?"

"Illyana Rasputin." Megan had barely gotten the first name out when Colossus suddenly crossed the room and stood, towering over her.

"My Illyana?" He asked quietly. Despite the intimidation Megan felt, none could be found his voice. Worry and fear, however, were evident. He also spoke with a thick Russian accent, and his features she could now see closely resembled Illyana's. There was no denying that they were siblings. Megan could only nod solemnly.

"I'm sorry," she replied, but he wasn't listening. He had turned around and returned to his spot by the window, glaring down the streets outside. Megan turned back to Magneto. "You would be able to help her, right? Will you find Illyana?"

Magneto glanced at the solitary mutant by the window before replying. It was true that Colossus only worked for him because Magneto had threatened his family, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to help. "I will see what we can do once we arrive in America," he said in response.

"America? You can't just find her now?" Megan exclaimed, half annoyed. She wouldn't have come all this way just to leave the country before finding her friend.

"The only way to find your friend is through a super-computer and a telepath, both of which are in America," Mystique explained impatiently. Those who actually knew her found her temper surprisingly tame.

"Fine," Megan replied after a pause. She had no argument, and could find no way to do it herself. "When are we leaving?"

"Morning." This firm reply was from Colossus. It seemed that the abrupt departure hadn't been planned, but under the circumstances, no one was objecting.

XXX

Illyana woke up in a dark, small dungeon equipped with only the cot she was lying on. A heavy wooden door stood in the middle of the wall opposite her, a barred window at her eye level allowing her to see through it. The room was dimly lit, though she could see no light sources. She moved to the door and peeked outside. Her cell was at the end of a long corridor that led to a spiral stone staircase. There were other doors, similar to her own, along each wall.

She chose a spot on the ground to concentrate on and attempted so summon a stepping disk. This was to no avail. Illyana's concentration and powers were being blocked by some unknown force. Normally her Soulsword would put an end to the magical bonds on her, but she couldn't even summon that. Illyana was about to return to the cot when she heard voices and footsteps from the staircase. She rushed to the door and watched them approach. Two cloaked, hooded, and masked figures neared the door; they had stopped talking when they saw that she was awake. Before Illyana could react, their wands were out and pointing at her through the bars. One figure shouted "Silencio" and the other "Incarcerous."

The ropes that shot out of the second wand wrapped themselves around her. Illyana was knocked backwards at the force and in surprise, she would have yelped if she had been able to make a sound. Unable to get up, the mutant struggled against the ropes as the two Death Eaters entered the cell. The ropes tightened as she moved, and Illyana soon learned to remain still. The wizards didn't say a word as they each grabbed her by the arms and pushed her toward the staircase.

She was led up the stairs and through a series of dark corridors. A few attempts at using her powers told her that they still wouldn't work. She resigned herself to waiting and watching for an opportunity to get away. It was futile, though. She was powerless, outmatched, and in unfamiliar territory.

Illyana was stopped in front of a set of large wooden doors. One power that Illyana did still maintain, probably because it required no concentration, was the ability to sense magic. Through the doors was an enormous amount of power. The doors swung open slowly and light filtered into the hallway. Illyana was pushed inside and she took a good look at her surroundings. Torches lit the large room, which looked like a dining room without windows. A long table stood in the middle, cloaked and masked figures sitting at each side. At the head of the table was a high backed chair with another figure. The power, Illyana sensed, emanated from him. Behind this man was a roaring fireplace. There were only three empty seats at the table, the one at the end right in front of her and the two on each side. She was forced into the seat directly across the sinister, powerful man.

The young mutant waited anxiously before the others, who only seemed to stare and whisper quietly amongst themselves. Illyana watched the man on the other end of the table. To be frank, he scared her. She knew he was capable of a lot, but wasn't sure of the extent. He'd disabled her powers somehow, after all. She knew nothing of his world, except that they weren't supposed to know that mutants existed. At least until recently when the humans found out and it was made public in the muggle world.

The man at the head of the table stood as the others took their seats. He raised his goblet and, in a very sarcastic manner, toasted her arrival at their dinner table. "I must say we are quite honored to host such a powerful being," the man continued, placing the glass down and withdrawing something long and thin from his robes. To Illyana it just looked like a stick, but she knew it was much more. "Your power, however, is only second to my own. Imperio."

A light shot out of the end of his 'stick' and Illyana braced herself for impact. She never felt pain, though. Instead, she relaxed. Illyana suddenly felt very happy, as if everything from the past twenty-four hours never happened, as if she was home with her siblings and parents. She then heard a voice. It was soothing, and seemed to exist only in her head.

"I am Lord Voldemort," it said. "Stand up and come around the table to me." The words were commanding, but the voice was compelling. Illyana did as she was told, she didn't have the urge to fight when she felt so great. She stopped when she reached the armrest of his chair, and awaited more orders. She could hear him speaking to the others, but she didn't bother paying attention to what was being said.

Moments later, the voice entered her mind again. "Show me your powers." Illyana complied again, making the Soulsword appear in her open hand. The blade wasn't too impressive, but the Dark Lord could tell it was powerful. The sword disappeared a moment later, so Illyana could display another power. She teleported to the other side of the table. "Walk back over here," the voice commanded. Upon returning to his side, Lord Voldemort addressed his followers yet again. She half-listened to what was being said, uncaring because she was still floating around in her state of ease and happiness.

XXX

A/N: Okay, so I've had most of this written for a while, I just put off the very end because I wasn't exactly sure where I was going with this. I really hope you like this chapter, though you probably hate me for taking so long with it… I also want to make sure the story as a whole isn't too confusing for anyone. I know I jump around a lot between different groups and there are a lot of characters now, so if you review could you please address that somewhere? Thanks in advance! And on that note, I do hope you continue to read and review. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long, but I make no promises so you can't hold me to anything! I kid, I kid.


End file.
